A Welsh man who fought Covid at home for more than half a year is believed to be the first person in the world to be cured of the virus by vaccination.
Ian Lester of Pontypridd, who has a rare genetic immunodeficiency, became infected in December 2020, before vaccinations were widely available.
During the seven and a half months of his illness, the ophthalmologist suffered from chest tightness, headaches, and extreme fatigue.
He was unable to get vaccinated when immunocompromised people were invited to get vaccinated because he still tested positive for the virus.
But scientists at Cardiff University decided to give him two doses of Pfizer, one month apart, in the hope that it would work as a therapeutic agent and help his immune system finally clear the virus.
The results showed that virus levels dropped by a factor of 64 within two weeks of the first vaccination, showing how quickly the vaccine worked.
Leicester was eventually declared Covid-free in August, 72 days after receiving the first vaccine.
This case, detailed in a medical journal, is believed to be the first time a vaccine has been used to treat Covid. Current vaccinations are used to prevent people who are not infected from becoming seriously ill if they become infected.
Ian Lester of Pontypridd contracted Covid in December 2020 and suffered from chest headaches and extreme fatigue during his seven and a half months of infection.
Scientists at Cardiff University eventually rid him of the virus in August 2021 by giving him two doses of the Pfizer vaccine (pictured). The shot boosted his antibody and T-cell levels, allowing him to fight Covid.
Dr. Mark Ponsford, one of the doctors who treated Lester, described the possible negative test result as “quite a startling moment.”
He said the vaccine was “remarkably” well tolerated by Mr. Lester, who had previously had a limited reaction to conventional shots.
HOW CAN COVID VACCINES ACT AS A THERAPEUTIC?
A Welsh man who fought Covid at home for more than half a year is believed to be the first person in the world to be cured of the virus through vaccination.
Ian Lester of Pontypridd in Wales, who suffers from a rare genetic immunodeficiency, was infected for seven and a half months.
About five months after being infected, a team of scientists from Cardiff University proposed to test whether vaccination would get rid of the infection.
Usually people have to wait until they get rid of the virus before getting vaccinated.
Current vaccinations are used to prevent people who are not infected from becoming seriously ill if they become infected.
But the scientists thought the vaccine could elicit an immune response to “support the destruction of the virus.” They gave two injections of Pfizer one month apart.
The results showed a “boosted” T-cell and antibody response 14 days after the first dose, while virus levels in swabs from the nose and throat of the infected man dropped 64-fold.
The team found that the vaccine elicited an antibody and T-cell response sufficient to eliminate an infection that was not caused by the body in response to the virus.
Approximately 72 days after he received his first shot, Mr. Lester was found free of the virus.
The team said the case suggests that Covid vaccines allow the immune system to destroy the virus.
Scientists say the results show that Covid shots can kick-start the immune systems of immunocompromised people with “persistent” infections, which in rare cases can leave them fighting disease for decades.
Mr Lester suffers from Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that prevents him from forming blood clots.
Patients are more susceptible to infections and bruise and bleed more easily.
Mr Lester said he was “shocked” when he tested positive in December 2020 as his only symptoms were loss of taste and smell.
He reported this to the immunology center at the University Hospital of Wales, where he had been treated for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome since childhood.
Doctors sent him regular PCR tests to take at home, fearing that people with immunodeficiencies might remain contagious longer.
His swabs continued to come back positive. And his symptoms, including severe fatigue, trouble sleeping, headaches and chest tightness, continued to get worse the longer he had the virus.
Mr Lester said: “While most people can end isolation 10 days after contracting the virus, I was the exception to the rule. Every test came back positive again and again.
“It’s been months of what felt like a lifetime when you can’t go anywhere or see friends or family.
“Each positive Covid swab (which was taken every 10-14 days) made me feel more and more depressed and anxious.”
He added: “I started to feel like a prisoner in my own house and the days turned into months.
“By June 2021, when social gatherings were allowed again, I felt very frustrated and began to doubt that I would ever turn negative.”
Mr Lester’s condition was different from long-term Covid, where people still experience lingering symptoms of the virus after clearing the infection.
He was not eligible for antivirals because he was not hospitalized.
Doctors suggested using the Pfizer Covid vaccine to fight the virus, which Lester said he was “more than willing to try.”
Usually people have to wait until they get rid of the virus before getting vaccinated.
Professor Stephen Jolles of the Immunology Center said his team took a “unique therapeutic approach” given the impact of sustained positive PCR test results on Mr Lester’s physical and mental health.
Get ready for FIFTH shots this fall: Sajid Javid says people over 50 ‘probably’ need another Covid booster
A fifth Covid vaccination could be rolled out this fall, the health minister has hinted that the vaccination program will be expanded again.
Asked this morning if another booster campaign is in the works, Sajid Javid stated that it is “maybe…probably for those 50 and over.” But he added that a “final” decision had not yet been made.
Starting today, over 75s, nursing home residents, and patients with weak immune systems will begin receiving invitations to Covid Spring Boost to boost the immunity levels of millions of people.
If they were offered another jab in the fall, it would be their fifth. Some immunocompromised adults will have five by then.
Mr Javid also said that “the No10 anxiety level has not changed” over the past two weeks, despite an increase in infections and hospitalizations. He said the numbers are “still well below their peak”.
He also urged people to treat Covid like any other infectious disease and “behave sensibly” if they feel unwell or experience symptoms, including socializing less and staying indoors to avoid spreading the virus. He gave advice before England stops offering free testing from next Friday.
Five million Brits have qualified for their second boosters today, with the first 600,000 people expected to be invited this week.
The move comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunization (JCVI) recommended spring refueling as a precautionary measure.
“We wondered if therapeutic vaccination could help clear the virus permanently by triggering a strong immune response in the body,” said Professor Jolles.
Mr. Lester received two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine one month apart, which “very quickly” produced a strong antibody response that was “much stronger” than that produced naturally, scientists said.
A case report published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology shows that there was also a strong T-cell response, an arm of the immune system thought to be critical in fighting the virus.
The team did not elaborate on how quickly his body responded to the shot, except that detectable virus levels in his swab dropped within two weeks of the first shot.
A negative test in August finally confirmed that the virus had been eradicated 218 days after it was first detected.
Mr Lester said: “I was over the moon to finally turn negative and get my life back on track.”
Discussing the moment Mr Lester tested negative, Dr Ponsford of Cardiff University School of Medicine said it was “pretty amazing”.
He added: “To our knowledge, mRNA vaccination was first used to treat chronic Covid infection.
“Importantly, the vaccine was well tolerated by the patient and successfully induced a strong antibody and T cell response.
“It was remarkable, given that Yang’s response to routine vaccinations in the past has been extremely limited.”
Researchers will still need to test the vaccine as a treatment on more patients with long-term infections before concluding it might work.
Dr Ponsford said: “We have all seen how vital vaccination is to the ongoing fight against a global pandemic.
“But our study is the first to highlight the exciting potential of its use as a treatment for chronic infection.
“While genetic causes of immunodeficiency are rare, there are many more people whose immune systems have been suppressed due to their diseases and treatments.
“We need to be prepared for a persistent Covid infection in these conditions and develop the tools to respond accordingly.”