Vaccines
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SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays are crucial in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are well known to induce a serum antibody responses against the spike protein and its RBD. Mucosal immunity plays a major role in the fight against COVID-19 directly at the site of virus entry; however, vaccine abilities to elicit mucosal immune responses have not been reported. ⋯ This mucosal humoral immune response is stronger after the injection of the second vaccine dose compared to subjects recovered from COVID-19. Since there is a lack of validated assays on saliva and nasal secretions, this study shows that our pre-analytical and analytical procedures are consistent with the data. Our findings indicate that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine elicits antigen-specific nasal and salivary immune responses, and that mucosal antibody assays could be used as candidates for non-invasive monitoring of vaccine-induced protection against viral infection.
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Healthcare workers are among risk groups in the COVID-19. Even if they are not infected with the disease, they witness the effects of the pandemic. The aim of the study is to determine the factors affecting COVID-19 vaccination status and reasons for vaccine hesitancy of healthcare personnel in our hospital. ⋯ In the surveyed group, being under the age of 50 (OR:1.85), being nondoctor healthcare personnel (nurse/midwife OR:1.78, administrative personnel OR:3.42, patient attendant/cleaning staff OR:4.11, security guard/other OR:2.96), having had the disease before (OR:2.36), not having the flu vaccine (OR:3.24) and hesitancy about other vaccines (OR:6.61) were found to be independent risk factors for not having a COVID-19 vaccine or having it late. The three most common reasons for not getting vaccinated were doubt on the efficacy of the vaccine, distrust of its content, and fear of side effects. Taking steps by considering the main factors of hesitancy among healthcare personnel will increase the vaccine acceptance.
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This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare the safety and efficacy of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines according to vaccine platform and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection severity. Articles published between 24 January 2020 and 30 May 2021 were retrieved via a PubMed and EMBASE search. A total of 12 reports on phase-3 clinical trials and observational studies of COVID-19 vaccines were included in the review. ⋯ The COVID-19 vaccines assessed in this study are sufficiently safe and effective. The results indicate that two mRNA vaccine doses prevent SARS-COV-2 infection most effectively, but further research is needed due to the high degree of heterogeneity among studies in this sample. Interventions should be implemented continuously to reduce the risks of infection after one vaccine dose and asymptomatic infection.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than one hundred million people since the beginning of the worldwide pandemic. In this study, data from a large hospital in central Italy was used to evaluate the impact of the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine on SARS-CoV-2 infections in terms of the prevalence of symptomatic cases, symptom duration, and viral clearance timing. All vaccinated Healthcare Workers (HCWs) with positive RT-PCR by nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs were divided into two cohorts (positive RT-PCR within day 12 and positive RT-PCR between day 13 and day 21 after first dose administration) and compared for the presence and duration of symptoms and the timing of viral clearance. ⋯ Symptom duration and viral clearance timing are significantly shorter in the cohort of HCWs with positive RT-PCR 12 days after the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. The administration of the first dose proved effective in reducing presence, symptom duration, and viral clearance even in HCWs vaccinated for less than 6 days. These results could have implications on public health and post-exposure prophylaxis.
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Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is considered the most effective method of prevention to contain the pandemic. While highly effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are being applied on a large-scale, whether and to what extent the strength of the vaccine-induced immune response could be further potentiated is still an object of debate. Several reports studied the effect of different vaccines on the susceptibility and mortality of COVID-19, with conflicting results. ⋯ Female workers showed an 81% MNA and a 44% anti-S/RBD increase compared to male workers (p < 0.001). Compared to workers aged 21 to 49 years, those aged 50 or older were associated with a reduction in the anti-S/RBD (16%; p 0.005), MNA (31%; p 0.019), and IFN.g (32%) immune response. Maintaining the influenza and pneumococcal immunization program for the coming season, in which COVID-19 could still be spreading, remains strongly recommended to protect those who are more vulnerable and to limit the potential burden of these infections on the healthcare system.