The studies listed below are peer reviewed papers on the impact of the Covid mRNA vaccine on our immune system. Please check back from time to time as this list is expanded with the release of new papers.
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Papers are listed by date, the most recent appearing at the top of the page. Click to expand for a full text link, author details, correspondence and abstract. Where a paper is published in multiple journals, the link provided is to a full text version. If we have missed important validated research, please log in and use the comment box below to send us a link. Acceptance of submitted links is at the discretion of the editors.
Please note that on occasion, a retracted study will still be listed. This is an editorial decision, based on the reasons for the papers retraction. Clear attempts to discredit research with a view to censorship does not warrant retraction. These papers are highlighted in red and where possible PDF versions exist on our servers.
Association of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status with risk of influenza-like illness and loss of workdays in healthcare workers
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: August, 2025 |
| PUBLICATION: PubMed |
| AUTHORS |
| Tamara Dörr, Joanne Lacy, Tala Ballouz, Alexia Cusini, Fabian Grässli, Sarah Haile, Emina Kocan, J Carsten Möller, Milo A Puhan, Matthias Schlegel, Matthias von Kietzell, Markus Rütti, Reto Stocker, Danielle Vuichard Gysin, Christian R Kahlert, Stefan P Kuster, Philipp Kohler; SURPRISE+ Study Group |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1038/s43856-025-01046-8 |
| PMID: 40783603 |
| ABSTRACT |
| Background: In the post-pandemic phase, the value of annual SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination in healthcare-workers is unclear. In this multicentre cohort study, we sought to determine the association of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status and other risk factors with the occurrence of influenza-like respiratory illness and workdays lost due to influenza-like respiratory illness. Methods: During a period of high SARS-CoV-2 community transmission (November 2023 to May 2024), we collected weekly data on symptoms and sick day leave and used negative binomial regression to identify risk factors for these outcomes among 1745 healthcare workers. To single out the effect of the vaccine and account for potential confounding, additional inverse probability weighted analysis was performed. Results: In both analyses, we show that more SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations are associated with a higher risk of influenza-like respiratory illness and workdays lost. For influenza-like respiratory illness, the association is stronger with a more recent timing of the vaccination rather than the number of vaccinations, which suggests that the effect wanes over time. In contrast, seasonal influenza vaccination is associated with a decreased risk for both outcomes. Conclusions: Based on our data, we conclude that SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination does not contribute to the protection of the healthcare workforce in a post-pandemic setting. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may even temporarily increase the likelihood of symptomatic infection and workday loss. |
Post-vaccination IgG4 and IgG2 class switch associates with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: April, 2025 |
| PUBLICATION: Science Direct |
| AUTHORS |
| Carla Martín Pérez, Sílvia Ruiz-Rius, Anna Ramírez-Morros c, Marta Vidal a b, D. Herbert Opi, Pere Santamaria, Julià Blanco, Josep Vidal-Alaball, James G. Beeson, Luis M. Molinos-Albert, Ruth Aguilar, Anna Ruiz-Comellas, Gemma Moncunill, Carlota Dobaño |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected], [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2025.106473 |
| PMID: 40113142 |
| ABSTRACT |
| Throughout the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, a variety of vaccines targeting the viral spike (S) protein have been developed, with the mRNA formulated BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 leading the way in Western countries, alongside replication-deficient adenovirus-based vaccines. Despite the ability of mRNA vaccines to induce strong and durable immune responses, emerging evidence has raised questions regarding antibody class switching. Several reports suggest that repeated doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines lead to a shift toward IgG4 antibodies, and an expansion of memory B cells expressing IgG4 several months after the primary series, with further increases following a first or second booster. Such IgG4 induction has not been reported following vaccination with adenoviral vector-based1 or other COVID-19 vaccines. This IgG subclass evolution has raised concerns due to the limited capacity of IgG4 to mediate Fc-dependent effector functions in cooperation with innate immune cells, such as antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, cytotoxicity, or to fix complement. IgG4 is primarily involved in regulatory functions, and is associated with immune tolerance and chronic antigen exposure. These contrast with the pro-inflammatory related roles of IgG1 and IgG3, which are more efficient at engaging complement and/or Fc gamma receptors (FcγR) on the surface of monocytes, neutrophils or natural killer cells. IgG2 is usually involved in responses against polysaccharide antigens and has limited binding to FcγRs, resulting in lower effector functions. In addition, IgG1 and IgG3 also exhibit superior neutralizing capacity, further distinguishing them from IgG2, and IgG4.12 Although the reduced Fc-dependent function of IgG4 may compromise the antibody-mediated effector immune response, the impact of IgG4 class switch on protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unclear, and the contribution of IgG2 has received less attention. This study investigated the consequences of IgG4 induction associated with repeated mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations on protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is essential for monitoring the long-term efficacy of vaccines, particularly as booster doses are regularly administered. |
Immunological and Antigenic Signatures Associated with Chronic Illnesses after COVID-19 Vaccination
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: February, 2025 |
| PUBLICATION: medRxiv |
| AUTHORS |
| Bornali Bhattacharjee, Peiwen Lu, Valter Silva Monteiro, Alexandra Tabachnikova, Kexin Wang, William B. Hooper, Victoria Bastos, Kerrie Greene, Mitsuaki Sawano, Christian Guirgis, Tiffany J. Tzeng, Frederick Warner, Pavlina Baevova, Kathy Kamath, Jack Reifert, Danice Hertz, Brianne Dressen, Laura Tabacof, Jamie Wood, Lily Cooke, Mackenzie Doerstling, Shadan Nolasco, Amer Ahmed, Amy Proal, David Putrino, Leying Guan, Harlan M. Krumholz, Akiko Iwasaki |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.18.25322379 |
| PMID: PREPRINT |
| ABSTRACT |
| COVID-19 vaccines have prevented millions of COVID-19 deaths. Yet, a small fraction of the population reports a chronic debilitating condition after COVID-19 vaccination, often referred to as post-vaccination syndrome (PVS). To explore potential pathobiological features associated with PVS, we conducted a decentralized, cross-sectional study involving 42 PVS participants and 22 healthy controls enrolled in the Yale LISTEN study. Compared with controls, PVS participants exhibited differences in immune profiles, including reduced circulating memory and effector CD4 T cells (type 1 and type 2) and an increase in TNFα+ CD8 T cells. PVS participants also had lower anti-spike antibody titers, primarily due to fewer vaccine doses. Serological evidence of recent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation was observed more frequently in PVS participants. Further, individuals with PVS exhibited elevated levels of circulating spike protein compared to healthy controls. These findings reveal potential immune differences in individuals with PVS that merit further investigation to better understand this condition and inform future research into diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. |
Effectiveness of the 2023-to-2024 XBB.1.5 COVID-19 Vaccines Over Long-Term Follow-up: A Target Trial Emulation
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: February, 2025 |
| PUBLICATION: ACP Journals |
| AUTHORS |
| George N Ioannou, Kristin Berry, Nallakkandi Rajeevan, Yuli Li, Lei Yan, Yuan Huang, Hung-Mo Lin, David Bui, Denise M Hynes, Mazhgan Rowneki, Amy Bohnert, Edward J Boyko, Theodore J Iwashyna, Matthew L Maciejewski, Valerie A Smith, Theodore S Z Berkowitz, Ann M O’Hare, Elizabeth M Viglianti, Mihaela Aslan, Kristina L Bajema |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-01015 |
| PMID: 39903865 |
| ABSTRACT |
| To determine XBB.1.5 COVID-19 VE and the extent to which it declines over time. Design: Target trial emulation. Setting: U.S. Veterans Health Administration. Participants: Eligible XBB.1.5 vaccine recipients were matched 1:1 to unvaccinated persons in 7 sequential biweekly trials with enrollment from 2 October 2023 through 3 January 2024. Intervention: XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccination versus no XBB.1.5 vaccination. Measurements: Outcomes were ascertained through 10 May 2024 and included any positive result on a SARS-CoV-2 test from day 10 after the matched index date, subsequent hospitalization within 1 day before or 10 days after the positive result, or death within 30 days after the positive result. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated as 100 × (1 − risk ratio). Results: Participants (91.3% male; mean age, 69.9 years) included 587 137 pairs of vaccinated and matched unvaccinated persons. Over a mean follow-up of 176 days (range, 118 to 211 days), VE was −3.26% (95% CI, −6.78% to −0.22%) against documented SARS-CoV-2 infection, 16.64% (CI, 6.47% to 25.77%) against SARS-CoV-2–associated hospitalization, and 26.61% (CI, 5.53% to 42.32%) against SARS-CoV-2–associated death. When estimated at 60, 90, and 120 days, respectively, VE against documented infection (14.21%, 7.29%, and 3.15%), hospitalization (37.57%, 30.84%, and 25.25%), or death (54.24%, 44.33%, and 30.25%) showed substantial waning. |
Protection From COVID-19 Vaccination and Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children Aged 6 Months–4 Years, United States, September 2022–April 2023
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: December, 2024 |
| PUBLICATION: Academic OUP |
| AUTHORS |
| Leora R Feldstein, Jasmine Ruffin, Ryan Wiegand, Lauren Grant, Tara M Babu, Melissa Briggs-Hagen, Jefferey L Burgess, Alberto J Caban-Martinez, Helen Y Chu, Katherine D Ellingson, Janet A Englund, Kurt T Hegmann, Zuha Jeddy, Jennifer Kuntz, Adam S Lauring, Karen Lutrick, Emily T Martin, Clare Mathenge, Jennifer Meece, Claire M Midgley, Arnold S Monto, Allison L Naleway, Gabriella Newes-Adeyi, Leah Odame-Bamfo, Lauren E W Olsho, Andrew L Phillips, Ramona P Rai, Sharon Saydah, Ning Smith, Harmony Tyner, Molly Vaughan, Ana A Weil, Sarang K Yoon, Amadea Britton, Manjusha Gaglani MD |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piae121 |
| PMID: 39656907 |
| ABSTRACT |
| To understand how coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines impact infection risk in children <5 years, we assessed risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection from September 2022 to April 2023 in 3 cohort studies. There was no difference in risk by vaccination status. While vaccines reduce severe disease, they may not reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections in naïve young children. |
Behavioral and Health Outcomes of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination: A Case-Control Study in Japanese Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: December, 2024 |
| PUBLICATION: Cureus |
| AUTHORS |
| Eiji Nakatani, Hisayo Morioka, Takayuki Kikuchi, Masanori Fukushima |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.7759/cureus.75652 |
| PMID: 39803093 |
| ABSTRACT |
| Despite ongoing waves of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, including significant surges such as the 10th wave, understanding the impact of messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccination on infection risk and associated behavioral changes remains crucial. This study aims to urgently evaluate the effects of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination on COVID-19 infection rates and related behaviors among participants of the Yamato Project, which includes employees of Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). |
Repeated COVID-19 mRNA vaccination results in IgG4 class switching and decreased NK cell activation by S1-specific antibodies in older adults
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: June, 2024 |
| PUBLICATION: Springer Nature |
| AUTHORS |
| Anne T. Gelderloos, Marije K. Verheul, Irene Middelhof, Mary-Lène de Zeeuw-Brouwer, Robert S. van Binnendijk, Anne-Marie Buisman & Puck B. van Kasteren |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1186/s12979-024-00466-9 |
| PMID: 39272189 |
| ABSTRACT |
| Background Previous research has shown that repeated COVID-19 mRNA vaccination leads to a marked increase of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific serum antibodies of the IgG4 subclass, indicating far-reaching immunoglobulin class switching after booster immunization. Considering that repeated vaccination has been recommended especially for older adults, the aim of this study was to investigate IgG subclass responses in the ageing population and assess their relation with Fc-mediated antibody effector functionality. Results Spike S1-specific IgG subclass concentrations (expressed in arbitrary units per mL), antibody-dependent NK cell activation, complement deposition and monocyte phagocytosis were quantified in serum from older adults (n = 38–50, 65–83 years) at one month post-second, -third and -fifth vaccination. Subclass distribution in serum was compared to that in younger adults (n = 64, 18–47 years) at one month post-second and -third vaccination. Compared to younger individuals, older adults showed increased levels of IgG2 and IgG4 at one month post-third vaccination (possibly related to factors other than age) and a further increase following a fifth dose. The capacity of specific serum antibodies to mediate NK cell activation and complement deposition relative to S1-specific total IgG concentrations decreased upon repeated vaccination. This decrease associated with an increased IgG4/IgG1 ratio. Conclusions In conclusion, these findings show that, like younger individuals, older adults produce antibodies with reduced functional capacity upon repeated COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Additional research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these responses and their potential implications for vaccine effectiveness. Such knowledge is vital for the future design of optimal vaccination strategies in the ageing population. |
Dealing with COVID-19 Vaccine Related Antibody-Dependent Enhancement: A Mini Review
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: June, 2024 |
| PUBLICATION: Fortune Journals |
| AUTHORS |
| Alexis Lacout, Jean-François Lesgards, Valère Lounnas, Xavier Azalbert, Christian Perronne, Martin Zizi |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.26502/ami.936500170 |
| PMID: Not indexed |
| ABSTRACT |
| Antibody-dependent enhancement is an antibody-mediated increase of infection which is a paradoxical reaction of the immune system during viral infection, when generally non-neutralizing antibodies facilitate and exacerbate infection. The ADE phenomenon is well known in veterinary medicine. It is contraindicated to vaccinate sick animals with the Rotavec® vaccine (designed against a bovine coronavirus and a rotavirus). In humans, during SARS-CoV-1 infections, the S-protein epitope was shown to produce both neutralizing and ADE antibodies. Newly-infected patients were not considered vaccinated until 15 days after the second dose of vaccine. In these patients (considered unvaccinated (< 15 days)), the vaccine could be able to induce an increase in antibody levels, initially neutralizing at low concentration and/or facilitating. Indeed, the facilitating antibodies which appear two to three weeks after one dose of vaccine would therefore be present at the time of the second dose. In relation to these mechanisms, the vaccine could therefore facilitate contamination and induce severe forms in patients who had been vaccinated but were wrongly considered unvaccinated. |
IgG4 Antibodies Induced by Repeated Vaccination May Generate Immune Tolerance to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: May, 2023 |
| PUBLICATION: MDPI |
| AUTHORS |
| Vladimir N. Uversky, Elrashdy M. Redwan, William Makis and Alberto Rubio-Casillas |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected], [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11050991 |
| PMID: 37243095 |
| ABSTRACT |
| Background: Less than a year after the global emergence of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, a novel vaccine platform based on mRNA technology was introduced to the market. Globally, around 13.38 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses of diverse platforms have been administered. To date, 72.3% of the total population has been injected at least once with a COVID-19 vaccine. As the immunity provided by these vaccines rapidly wanes, their ability to prevent hospitalization and severe disease in individuals with comorbidities has recently been questioned, and increasing evidence has shown that, as with many other vaccines, they do not produce sterilizing immunity, allowing people to suffer frequent re-infections. Additionally, recent investigations have found abnormally high levels of IgG4 in people who were administered two or more injections of the mRNA vaccines. HIV, Malaria, and Pertussis vaccines have also been reported to induce higher-than-normal IgG4 synthesis. Overall, there are three critical factors determining the class switch to IgG4 antibodies: excessive antigen concentration, repeated vaccination, and the type of vaccine used. It has been suggested that an increase in IgG4 levels could have a protecting role by preventing immune over-activation, similar to that occurring during successful allergen-specific immunotherapy by inhibiting IgE-induced effects. However, emerging evidence suggests that the reported increase in IgG4 levels detected after repeated vaccination with the mRNA vaccines may not be a protective mechanism; rather, it constitutes an immune tolerance mechanism to the spike protein that could promote unopposed SARS-CoV2 infection and replication by suppressing natural antiviral responses. Increased IgG4 synthesis due to repeated mRNA vaccination with high antigen concentrations may also cause autoimmune diseases, and promote cancer growth and autoimmune myocarditis in susceptible individuals. |
Autoimmune inflammatory reactions triggered by the COVID-19 genetic vaccines in terminally differentiated tissues
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: September, 2023 |
| PUBLICATION: Taylor and Francis |
| AUTHORS |
| Panagis Polykretis, Alberto Donzelli, Janci C Lindsay, David Wiseman, Anthony M Kyriakopoulos, Michael Mörz, Paolo Bellavite, Masanori Fukushima, Stephanie Seneff, Peter A McCullough |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1080/08916934.2023.2259123 |
| PMID: 37710966 |
| ABSTRACT |
| As a result of the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a global pandemic was declared. Indiscriminate COVID-19 vaccination has been extended to include age groups and naturally immune people with minimal danger of suffering serious complications due to COVID-19. Solid immuno-histopathological evidence demonstrates that the COVID-19 genetic vaccines can display a wide distribution within the body, affecting tissues that are terminally differentiated and far away from the injection site. These include the heart and brain, which may incur in situ production of spike protein eliciting a strong autoimmunological inflammatory response. Due to the fact that every human cell which synthesises non-self antigens, inevitably becomes the target of the immune system, and since the human body is not a strictly compartmentalised system, accurate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies are needed in order to determine precisely which tissues can be harmed. Therefore, our article aims to draw the attention of the scientific and regulatory communities to the critical need for biodistribution studies for the genetic vaccines against COVID-19, as well as for rational harm-benefit assessments by age group. |
Effectiveness of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Bivalent Vaccine
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: April, 2023 |
| PUBLICATION: Academic OUP |
| AUTHORS |
| Nabin K Shrestha, Patrick C Burke, Amy S Nowacki, James F Simon, Amanda Hagen , Steven M Gordon |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected], [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofad209 |
| PMID: 37274183 |
| ABSTRACT |
| Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a bivalent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine protects against COVID-19. Methods: The study included employees of Cleveland Clinic in employment when the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine first became available. Cumulative incidence of COVID-19 over the following 26 weeks was examined. Protection provided by vaccination (analyzed as a time-dependent covariate) was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression, with change in dominant circulating lineages over time accounted for by time-dependent coefficients. The analysis was adjusted for the pandemic phase when the last prior COVID-19 episode occurred and the number of prior vaccine doses. Results: Among 51 017 employees, COVID-19 occurred in 4424 (8.7%) during the study. In multivariable analysis, the bivalent-vaccinated state was associated with lower risk of COVID-19 during the BA.4/5-dominant (hazard ratio, 0.71 [95% confidence interval, .63-79]) and the BQ-dominant (0.80 [.69-.94]) phases, but decreased risk was not found during the XBB-dominant phase (0.96 [.82-.1.12]). The estimated vaccine effectiveness was 29% (95% confidence interval, 21%-37%), 20% (6%-31%), and 4% (-12% to 18%), during the BA.4/5-, BQ-, and XBB-dominant phases, respectively. The risk of COVID-19 also increased with time since the most recent prior COVID-19 episode and with the number of vaccine doses previously received. Conclusions: The bivalent COVID-19 vaccine given to working-aged adults afforded modest protection overall against COVID-19 while the BA.4/5 lineages were the dominant circulating strains, afforded less protection when the BQ lineages were dominant, and effectiveness was not demonstrated when the XBB lineages were dominant. |
Class switch toward noninflammatory, spike-specific IgG4 antibodies after repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: December, 2022 |
| PUBLICATION: Science Immunology |
| AUTHORS |
| Pascal Irrgang, Juliane Gerling, Katharina Kocher, Dennis Lapuente, Philipp Steininger, Katharina Habenicht, Monika Wytopil, Stephanie Beileke, Simon Schäfer, Jahn Zhong, George Ssebyatika, Thomas Krey, Valeria Falcone, Christine Schülein, Antonia Sophia Peter, Krystelle Nganou-Makamdop, Hartmut Hengel, Jürgen Held, Christian Bogdan, Klaus Überla, Kilian Schober, Thomas H Winkler, Matthias Tenbusch |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.ade2798 |
| PMID: 36548397 |
| ABSTRACT |
| RNA vaccines are efficient preventive measures to combat the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. High levels of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are an important component of vaccine-induced immunity. Shortly after the initial two mRNA vaccine doses, the immunoglobulin G (IgG) response mainly consists of the proinflammatory subclasses IgG1 and IgG3. Here, we report that several months after the second vaccination, SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies were increasingly composed of noninflammatory IgG4, which were further boosted by a third mRNA vaccination and/or SARS-CoV-2 variant breakthrough infections. IgG4 antibodies among all spike-specific IgG antibodies rose, on average, from 0.04% shortly after the second vaccination to 19.27% late after the third vaccination. This induction of IgG4 antibodies was not observed after homologous or heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with adenoviral vectors. Single-cell sequencing and flow cytometry revealed substantial frequencies of IgG4-switched B cells within the spike-binding memory B cell population [median of 14.4%; interquartile range (IQR) of 6.7 to 18.1%] compared with the overall memory B cell repertoire (median of 1.3%; IQR of 0.9 to 2.2%) after three immunizations. This class switch was associated with a reduced capacity of the spike-specific antibodies to mediate antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis and complement deposition. Because Fc-mediated effector functions are critical for antiviral immunity, these findings may have consequences for the choice and timing of vaccination regimens using mRNA vaccines, including future booster immunizations against SARS-CoV-2. |
Rate of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection During an Omicron Wave in Iceland
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: August, 2022 |
| PUBLICATION: PubMed |
| AUTHORS |
| Elias Eythorsson, Hrafnhildur Linnet Runolfsdottir, Ragnar Freyr Ingvarsson, Martin I Sigurdsson, Runolfur Palsson |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected], [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.25320 |
| PMID: 35921113 |
| ABSTRACT |
| COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Omicron, the currently dominant variant, is characterized by increased immune evasion, making reinfections more common. The relative protection of prior infection against reinfection with Omicron is 56% compared with 92% for the Delta variant. However, the population-level risk of reinfection with Omicron has not been described. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of persons who become reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 during the Omicron wave in Iceland. |
Duration of mRNA vaccine protection against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants in Qatar
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: June, 2022 |
| PUBLICATION: Nature |
| AUTHORS |
| Hiam Chemaitelly, Houssein H. Ayoub, Sawsan AlMukdad, Peter Coyle, Patrick Tang, Hadi M. Yassine, Hebah A. Al-Khatib, Maria K. Smatti, Mohammad R. Hasan, Zaina Al-Kanaani, Einas Al-Kuwari, Andrew Jeremijenko, Anvar Hassan Kaleeckal, Ali Nizar Latif, Riyazuddin Mohammad Shaik, Hanan F. Abdul-Rahim, Gheyath K. Nasrallah, Mohamed Ghaith Al-Kuwari, Adeel A. Butt, Hamad Eid Al-Romaihi, Mohamed H. Al-Thani, Abdullatif Al-Khal, Roberto Bertollini & Laith J. Abu-Raddad |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected], [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30895-3 |
| PMID: 35654888 |
| ABSTRACT |
| SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants are genetically divergent. We conducted a matched, test-negative, case-control study to estimate duration of protection of the second and third/booster doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines against BA.1 and BA.2 infections in Qatar. BNT162b2 effectiveness was highest at 46.6% (95% CI: 33.4–57.2%) against symptomatic BA.1 and at 51.7% (95% CI: 43.2–58.9%) against symptomatic BA.2 infections in the first three months after the second dose, but declined to ~10% or below thereafter. Effectiveness rebounded to 59.9% (95% CI: 51.2–67.0%) and 43.7% (95% CI: 36.5–50.0%), respectively, in the first month after the booster dose, before declining again. Effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization and death was 70–80% after the second dose and >90% after the booster dose. mRNA-1273 vaccine protection showed similar patterns. mRNA vaccines provide comparable, moderate, and short-lived protection against symptomatic BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron infections, but strong and durable protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and death. |
Adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines and measures to prevent them
Study Details
| FULL TEXT LINK: View Paper |
| PUBLICATION DATE: June, 2022 |
| PUBLICATION: Springer Nature |
| AUTHORS |
| Kenji Yamamoto |
| CORRESPONDENCE TO |
| [email protected] |
| DOI: 10.1186/s12985-022-01831-0 |
| PMID: 35659687 |
| ABSTRACT |
| Recently, The Lancet published a study on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the waning of immunity with time. The study showed that immune function among vaccinated individuals 8 months after the administration of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine was lower than that among the unvaccinated individuals. According to European Medicines Agency recommendations, frequent COVID-19 booster shots could adversely affect the immune response and may not be feasible. The decrease in immunity can be caused by several factors such as N1-methylpseudouridine, the spike protein, lipid nanoparticles, antibody-dependent enhancement, and the original antigenic stimulus. These clinical alterations may explain the association reported between COVID-19 vaccination and shingles. As a safety measure, further booster vaccinations should be discontinued. In addition, the date of vaccination should be recorded in the medical record of patients. Several practical measures to prevent a decrease in immunity have been reported. These include limiting the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including acetaminophen to maintain deep body temperature, appropriate use of antibiotics, smoking cessation, stress control, and limiting the use of lipid emulsions, including propofol, which may cause perioperative immunosuppression. In conclusion, COVID-19 vaccination is a major risk factor for infections in critically ill patients. |
