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In the present prospective study, 225 individuals in Kumamoto General Hospital, Japan, who received two-doses of BNT162b2 vaccine were enrolled/followed up over 150 days and neutralizing activity (NT50) of their sera and antiviral activity (EC50) of IgG purified from sera on day-60 post-1st-dose were determined against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2Wuhan) (n = 211) and 9 variants (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Kappa) (n = 45). Time-dependent changes of IgG-activity (n = 25) against SARS-CoV-2Wuhan and variants were also examined. Day-60 sera showed reduced NT50 by more than 50% against all variants examined, and greatest reduction was seen with Beta. IgG fractions of high-responders and moderate-responders showed similar fold-changes in EC50 against each variant compared to SARS-CoV-2Wuhan. Evaluation of EC50 of IgG obtained at different time-points (day-28 to -150) revealed time-dependent reduction of activity against all variants. However, against Delta, relatively long-lasting favorable antiviral activity (at least 150 days) was observed. Our data strongly suggest that the successful antecedent scale-up of mRNA-based vaccine administrations in Japan was the primary contributor to the lessening of the otherwise more devastating SARS-CoV-2 pandemic wave caused by the Delta variant. The present data that the effectiveness of vaccine against the then-dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant was likely associated with the moderation of the COVID-19 pandemic wave suggest that as in the case of influenza vaccines, the development of multivalent mRNA-based vaccines represent a generalizable approach to pre-emptively respond pandemic with mutable pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and has since spread rapidly worldwide. As almost all patients with end‐stage kidney disease have been treated with HD in Japan, they have a higher risk of infection than the healthy population. Moreover, the complications of renal failure, such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, appear to be a risk factor of death owing to novel coronavirus disease. The reported morbidity and mortality rates of novel coronavirus disease are significantly higher in dialysis patients than in the healthy population. No treatment for novel coronavirus disease has yet been developed; thus, countermeasures to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in dialysis facilities must be rapidly established. The latest findings on novel coronavirus disease in patients with end‐stage kidney disease and the guidelines for countermeasures against the spread of novel coronavirus disease worldwide are summarized in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]