Total anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies measured 6 months after Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination in healthcare workers

BackgroundThis study aimed at monitoring the kinetics of serum total anti-SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) antibodies in a cohort of healthcare workers after voluntary vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA-based vaccine.MethodsThe study population consisted of 787 healthcare workers (mean age 44±12 years; 66% females), who received two 30 mg doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, 3 weeks apart. Venous blood was drawn before the first vaccine dose, immediately before the second vaccine dose, and then at 1, 3 and 6 months after the second vaccine dose. Serological testing employed the total antiSARS-CoV-2 antibodies measurement with Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S chemiluminescent immunoassay.ResultsThe median serum levels of total anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies reached the peak (1762 kU/L) 1 month after the second vaccine dose, but tended to progressively decline at the 3-month (1086 kU/L) and 6-month (802 kU/L) follow-up points. Overall, the values after 3and 6months were 37% and 57% lower than the corresponding concentrations measured at the peak. No healthcare worker had total anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies below the method-dependent cut-off after 6 months. The decline compared to the peak was more accentuated in baseline seropositive persons than in those who were baseline seronegative (74% vs. 52%) cohort. The 6-month post-vaccination anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in subjects aged <65 years remained over 2-fold higher than in those aged ≥65 years (813 vs. 343 kU/L) and also remained consistently higher in women than in men.ConclusionsGradual decline of total anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies occurred 6 months after Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination, though values remained higher than the method-dependent cut-off, with no case of sero-negativization.     

Functional SARS-CoV-2-Specific Immune Memory Persists after Mild COVID-19

1. Download : Download high-res image (133KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Anti-spike S1 IgA,anti-spike trimeric IgG,and anti-spike RBD IgG response after BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in healthcare workers

BackgroundMost studies on immune response after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination focused on serum IgG antibodies and cell-mediated immunity, discounting the role of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing IgA antibodies in preventing viral infection. This study was aimed to quantify serum IgG and IgA neutralizing antibodies after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in baseline SARS-CoV-2 seronegative healthcare workers.MethodsThe study population consisted of 181 SARSCoV-2 seronegative healthcare workers (median age 42 years, 59.7% women), receiving two doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 (Comirnaty). Serum samples were collected before receiving the first vaccine dose, 21 days (before the second vaccine dose) and 50 days afterwards. We then measured anti-spike trimeric IgG (Liaison XL, DiaSorin), anti-spike receptor binding domain (RBD) IgG (Access 2, Beckman Coulter) and anti-spike S1 subunit IgA (ELISA, Euroimmun). Results were presented as median and interquartile range (IQR).ResultsVaccine administration elicited all anti-SARS-CoV2 antibodies measured. Thirty days after the second vaccine dose, 100% positivization occurred for anti-spike trimeric IgG and anti-spike RBD IgG, whilst 1.7% subjects remained anti-spike S1 IgA negative. The overall increase of antibodies level ratio over baseline after the second vaccine dose was 576.1 (IQR, 360.7-867.8) for anti-spike trimeric IgG, 1426.0 (IQR, 742.0-2698.6) for anti-spike RBD IgG, and 20.2 (IQR, 12.5-32.1) for anti-spike S1 IgA. Significant inverse association was found between age and overall increase of anti-spike trimeric IgG (r=-0.24; p=0.001) and anti-spike S1 IgA (r=-0.16; p=0.028), but not with anti-spike RBD IgG (r=-0.05; p=0.497).ConclusionsmRNA COVID-19 vaccination elicits sustained serum levels of anti-spike trimeric IgG and anti-spike RBD IgG, while also modestly but significantly increasing those of anti-spike S1 IgA.     

Early clinical and CT manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pneumonia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic with a high rate of transmission. Currently, there is a lack of vaccines and specific drugs for this newly-emerged virus. Timely diagnosis and treatment, as well as isolation of patients and virus carriers, contribute to the effective prevention and control of this epidemic. This review focuses on early stage COVID-19 diagnosis methods and strategies, highlighting the guiding role of laboratory indicators on treatment strategy formulation, and prognosis assessments.     

Public and healthcare providers awareness of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Qassim Region,Saudi Arabia

BackgroundThe rapid and extensive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a major cause of concern for both general public and healthcare profession.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to analyze and evaluate the awareness of both the general public and healthcare providers in Qassim region in Saudi Arabia.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted randomly in different shopping malls in Qassim region from 10th of February to 10th of March 2020. All participants have answered the designed questionnaire. The structured questionnaire recorded demographics and awareness of both public participants as well as health care providers.ResultA total of 130 participants have answered the designed questionnaire, out of which 67participants were males (58.5%) and 54 were females (41.5%). Overall, 129 (99%) out of the 130 participants are aware of COVID-19, and 116 (90%) have recognize it as a respiratory disease and 100% of the participants have recognized it as a contagious disease. Around 94% of the participants were able to recognize the correct incubation period of the virus. Participants of the age group 20–40 showed higher awareness level than other age groups (P value = 0.005). In addition, government employees showed higher awareness level than other profession groups (P = 0.039). Results showed significant positive correlation between the recognition of high-risk groups, reliable source of information, infection symptoms, disease prevention and available treatments.ConclusionGeneral public and health care professionals from Qassim Region showed adequate awareness of COVID-19. However, there is a strong need to implement periodic educational interventions and training programs on infection control practices for COVID-19 across all healthcare professions.     

Prevalence and determinants of healthcare avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundDuring the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of consultations and diagnoses in primary care and referrals to specialist care declined substantially compared to prepandemic levels. Beyond deferral of elective non-COVID-19 care by healthcare providers, it is unclear to what extent healthcare avoidance by community-dwelling individuals contributed to this decline in routine healthcare utilisation. Moreover, it is uncertain which specific symptoms were left unheeded by patients and which determinants predispose to healthcare avoidance in the general population. In this cross-sectional study, we assessed prevalence of healthcare avoidance during the pandemic from a patient perspective, including symptoms that were left unheeded, as well as determinants of healthcare avoidance.Methods and findingsOn April 20, 2020, a paper COVID-19 survey addressing healthcare utilisation, socioeconomic factors, mental and physical health, medication use, and COVID-19–specific symptoms was sent out to 8,732 participants from the population-based Rotterdam Study (response rate 73%). All questionnaires were returned before July 10, 2020. By hand, prevalence of healthcare avoidance was subsequently verified through free text analysis of medical records of general practitioners. Odds ratios (ORs) for avoidance were determined using logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, and history of chronic diseases. We found that 1,142 of 5,656 included participants (20.2%) reported having avoided healthcare. Of those, 414 participants (36.3%) reported symptoms that potentially warranted urgent evaluation, including limb weakness (13.6%), palpitations (10.8%), and chest pain (10.2%). Determinants related to avoidance were older age (adjusted OR 1.14 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08 to 1.21]), female sex (1.58 [1.38 to 1.82]), low educational level (primary education versus higher vocational/university 1.21 [1.01 to 1.46), poor self-appreciated health (per level decrease 2.00 [1.80 to 2.22]), unemployment (versus employed 2.29 [1.54 to 3.39]), smoking (1.34 [1.08 to 1.65]), concern about contracting COVID-19 (per level increase 1.28 [1.19 to 1.38]) and symptoms of depression (per point increase 1.13 [1.11 to 1.14]) and anxiety (per point increase 1.16 [1.14 to 1.18]). Study limitations included uncertainty about (perceived) severity of the reported symptoms and potentially limited generalisability given the ethnically homogeneous study population.ConclusionsIn this population-based cross-sectional study, 1 in 5 individuals avoided healthcare during lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic, often for potentially urgent symptoms. Healthcare avoidance was strongly associated with female sex, fragile self-appreciated health, and high levels of depression and anxiety. These results emphasise the need for targeted public education urging these vulnerable patients to timely seek medical care for their symptoms to mitigate major health consequences.

Marije J. Splinter and colleagues assess the prevalence of healthcare avoidance during the COIVD-19 pandemic and investigate related determinants     

Immunology of COVID-19

The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 reveals a delicate balance between protective effects and harmful pathological reactions and can possibly explain the highly variable disease manifestations in subjects infected with this novel coronavirus. A better understanding of the anti-viral immune response is not only critical for vaccine development but might also provide targets for pharmaceutical and immunological treatment options. Recent research literature on immune aspects of COVID-19 is summarized in this review with an outlook how bats have evolved to live with these viral infections.     

Antibody glycosylation in COVID-19

Glycoconjugate Journal - Antibody glycosylation has received considerable attention in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections and recently also in vaccination. Antibody glycosylation and in...     

Causes of Hypoxemia in COVID-19

Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology - The global pandemic of a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has posed challenges to public health specialists around the world associated with...     

COVID-19 one year later: a retrospect of CRISPR-Cas system in combating COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has posed a persistent global threat. The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is wide and swift. Rapid detection of the viral RNA and effective therapy are imperative to prevent the worldwide spread of the new infectious disease. Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)- CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system is an RNA-directed adaptive immune system, and it has been transformed into a gene editing tool. Applications of CRISPR-Cas system involves in many fields, such as human gene therapy, drug discovery and disease diagnosis. Under the background of COVID-19 pandemic, CRISPR-Cas system shows hidden capacity to fight the emergency in many aspects. This review will focus on the role of gene editing in COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. We will describe the potential use of CRISPR-Cas-based system in combating COVID-19, from diagnosis to treatment. Furthermore, the limitation and perspectives of this novel technology are also evaluated.     

Predictors of healthcare workers' intention to vaccinate against COVID-19: A cross sectional study from Saudi Arabia

BackgroundVaccination is considered the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent the complications of the disease. Nevertheless, no awareness campaigns were conducted in Saudi Arabia until March 1, 2021, when the Vaxzevria, or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), vaccine became available.ObjectivesThis study aims to determine the factors that can predict healthcare workers’ acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from July to September 2021, in our university tertiary hospital (King Saud University Medical City [KSUMC]), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study targeted potential participants among healthcare workers at KSUMC. We assessed healthcare workers’ perceptions and beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine via a questionnaire that was distributed via social media applications such as WhatsApp, Twitter, and Google. Participants were informed about the questionnaire before they filled it out, and they were asked to respond to three screening questions before beginning the main questionnaire. These screening questions ensured that the participants met the inclusion criteria. Included participants were over the age of 18, agreed to answer the questions, and were residents of Saudi Arabia. The participants filled out the self-administered questionnaire.ResultsA total of 529 participants completed the questionnaires. All participants were vaccinated, 68% were female, 55% were married, 35% had been working for less than five years, and 65% had a bachelor’s degree. More than half of participants had not previously been infected with COVID-19, and most did not interact with COVID-19 patients. More convenient access to the vaccine increased the odds ratio of participant vaccination by 0.39. An increase in the number of vaccinated friends and family members increased the odds ratio of participant vaccination by 0.30. However, COVID- 19 vaccination mandates decreased the odds ratio of participant vaccination by 0.27. The fitted linear regression model explained 32% of the variation observed in the dependent variable, acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the adjusted R squared was 0.32. The fitted regression model was statistically significant at a 95% confidence interval; the p-value was 0.00001.ConclusionIn Saudi Arabia, there is an immense need to increase uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. This requires encouraging more positive beliefs and attitudes regarding vaccination in general and the COVID-19 vaccine in particular.     

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its unprecedented global societal and economic disruptive impact highlight the urgent need for safe and effective vaccines. Taking substantial advantages of versatility and rapid development, two m RNA vaccines against COVID-19 have completed late-stage clinical assessment at an unprecedented speed and reported positive results. In this review, we outline keynotes in m RNA vaccine development, discuss recently published data on COVID-19 m RNA vaccine candidates, focusing on those in clinical trials and analyze future potential challenges.