• Yong Shik Kwon, Sun Hyo Park, KimHyun JungHJ0000-0002-1878-1111Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea., Jae Seok Park, Mi-Ae Kim, Tae Hun Kim, Ji Yeon Lee, and Jin Young Kim.
• Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea. kwonys0515@naver.com.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2024 Feb 19; 39 (6): e55e55.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is effective in preventing the disease transmission and progression. However, the relatively mild disease course of the omicron variant and the decrease in antibodies over time after vaccination raise questions about the effectiveness of vaccination, especially in young people. We compared the prevalence of pneumonia and chest X-ray severity score according to vaccination status among patients < 50 years old with COVID-19.MethodsFrom January 17 to March 17, 2022, 579 patients with COVID-19, who were < 50 years old and had a known vaccination history in our institution, were all included in this study. All patients underwent initial chest radiography, and follow-up chest radiographs were obtained every two days until discharge. Pneumonia was scored from the radiographs using the Brixia scoring system. The scores of the six lung zones were added for a total score ranging from 0 to 18. Patients were divided into four groups according to 10-year age intervals. Differences between groups were analyzed using the χ² or Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables and the Kruskal-Wallis test or analysis of variance for continuous variables.ResultsAmong patients aged 12-19 years, the prevalence of pneumonia did not differ depending on vaccination status (non-vaccinated vs. vaccinated, 1/47 [2.1%] vs. 1/18 [5.6%]; P = 0.577). Among patients in their 20s, the prevalence of pneumonia was significantly higher among non-vaccinated patients than among vaccinated patients (8/28, 28.6% vs. 7/138, 5.1%, P < 0.001), similar to patients in their 40s (32/52 [61.5%] vs. 18/138 [13.0%]; P < 0.001). The chest X-ray severity score was also significantly higher in non-vaccinated patients than that in vaccinated patients in their 20s to their 40s (P < 0.001), but not among patients aged 12-19 years (P = 0.678).ConclusionIn patients aged 20-49 years, vaccinated patients had a significantly lower prevalence of pneumonia and chest X-ray severity score than non-vaccinated patients.© 2024 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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