1. Effectiveness of the First and Second Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vaccine Dose: A Nationwide Cohort Study From Austria on Hybrid Versus Natural Immunity.
- Author
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Chalupka A, Riedmann U, Richter L, Chakeri A, El-Khatib Z, Sprenger M, Theiler-Schwetz V, Trummer C, Willeit P, Schennach H, Benka B, Werber D, Høeg TB, Ioannidis JPA, and Pilz S
- Abstract
Background: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccinations in previously SARS-CoV-2-infected adults in the general population of Austria during the Delta wave and with extended follow-up., Methods: In a nationwide retrospective cohort study, we calculated age-, sex-, and nursing home residency-adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths, SARS-CoV-2 infections, and non-COVID-19 deaths from 1 October to 31 December 2021, and secondarily with extended follow-up to 30 June 2022. Relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) is rVE = (1 - HR) × 100., Results: Among 494 646 previously infected adults, 169 543 had received 2 vaccine doses, 133 567 had received 1 dose, and 190 275 were unvaccinated at baseline. We recorded 17 COVID-19 deaths (6 vaccinated, 11 unvaccinated) and 8209 SARS-CoV-2 infections. Absolute risk of COVID-19 deaths was 0.003%. rVE estimates for COVID-19 deaths and reinfections exceeded 75% until the end of 2021 but decreased substantially with extended follow-up. The risk of non-COVID-19 death was lower in those vaccinated versus unvaccinated., Conclusions: First and second SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses appear effective in the short-term, but with diminishing effectiveness over time. The extremely low COVID-19 mortality, regardless of vaccination, indicates strong protection of previous infection against COVID-19 death. Lower non-COVID-19 mortality in the vaccinated population might suggest a healthy vaccinee bias., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)
- Published
- 2024
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