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Dimopoulou D, Sotiri D, Kousi D, Loulou G, Raptaki K, Neofytou A, Dasoula F, Tampouratzi M, Koloi A, Eleftheriou E, Vergadi E, Papadimitriou E, Zorbadaki I, Mavridi A, Miliordos K, Steletou E, Strempela M, Fragkou PC, Spoulou V, Michos A, Gkentzi D, Papaevangelou V, Ladomenou F, Grivea I, Syrogiannopoulos G, Galanakis E, Zaoutis T, Tryfinopoulou K, Tsolia MN. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among children in Greece during Omicron variant period. Eur J Pediatr 2024; 183:2491-2499. [PMID: 38478132 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-024-05486-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
The Omicron variant is associated with increased transmissibility, but evidence about the impact of Omicron in seropositivity of children is limited. This study aims to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children during the different variants' subperiods. A prospective multicenter seroprevalence study was conducted in 7 University public hospitals in Greece from November 2021 to August 2022 (3 subperiods: November 2021-February 2022, March 2022-May 2022, June 2022-August 2022). Children from different age groups, admitted to the hospital or examined in outpatient clinics for reasons other than COVID-19 were enrolled. Neutralizing antibodies (Nabs), anti-Spike (anti-S) and anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) SARS-CoV-2 IgG in serum were evaluated. A total of 2127 children (males:57,2%; median age:4,8years) were enrolled. Anti-N IgG seropositivity increased from 17,8% in the first sub-period to 40,7% in the second sub-period and then decreased in the third sub-period (36,7%). Anti-S IgG seropositivity appeared to have an increasing trend over the study period, starting from 34,8% and reaching 80,7%. Children aged 1-4 years old have significantly higher anti-N IgG titers compared to children aged 0-1 years old (p < 0,001). Infants have significantly lower anti-S IgG titers compared to all other age groups (p < 0,001). Immunocompromised children and infants have the lowest seropositivity for NAbs.Conclusions During the Omicron period, seropositivity significantly increased, as a result of higher transmissibility. Neonates and infants have lower antibody titers compared to other age groups, while young children aged 1-4 years old present higher antibody titers, suggesting that this age group may mount a higher antibody response. Continuous surveillance seroprevalence studies are needed in children, in order to identify the true extent of SARS-CoV-2 and guide the planning of adequate public health measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra Dimopoulou
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece
| | - Despoina Sotiri
- Central Public Health Laboratory, Hellenic Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitra Kousi
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Research (CLEO), Athens, 15451, Greece
| | - Garyfallia Loulou
- Central Public Health Laboratory, Hellenic Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece
| | - Kalliopi Raptaki
- Central Public Health Laboratory, Hellenic Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece
| | - Ariadni Neofytou
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece
| | - Foteini Dasoula
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece
| | - Maria Tampouratzi
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece
| | - Athina Koloi
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece
| | - Eirini Eleftheriou
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece
| | - Eleni Vergadi
- School of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University General Hospital of Heraklion, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Eleni Papadimitriou
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University General Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Irini Zorbadaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Venizeleion General Hospital, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Artemis Mavridi
- Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Third Department of Paediatrics, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Evangelia Steletou
- Medical School, Department of Paediatrics, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Maria Strempela
- First Department of Paediatrics, Aghia Sophia' Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Paraskevi C Fragkou
- First Department of Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Services, Evangelismos Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vassiliki Spoulou
- First Department of Paediatrics, Aghia Sophia' Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Athanasios Michos
- First Department of Paediatrics, Aghia Sophia' Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Despoina Gkentzi
- Medical School, Department of Paediatrics, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Vassiliki Papaevangelou
- Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Third Department of Paediatrics, Athens, Greece
| | - Fani Ladomenou
- Department of Pediatrics, Venizeleion General Hospital, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Ioanna Grivea
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University General Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - George Syrogiannopoulos
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University General Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Emmanouil Galanakis
- School of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University General Hospital of Heraklion, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Theoklis Zaoutis
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece
| | - Kyriaki Tryfinopoulou
- Central Public Health Laboratory, Hellenic Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria N Tsolia
- Second Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'P. and A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, Thivon and Leivadias, Athens, 30601, Greece.
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Jayaraj VJ, Husin M, Suah JL, Tok PSK, Omar A, Rampal S, Sivasampu S. Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among children 6-11 years against hospitalization during Omicron predominance in Malaysia. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5690. [PMID: 38454077 PMCID: PMC10920657 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55899-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
There is currently limited data on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6-11 years in Malaysia. This study aims to determine vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19-related hospitalization after receipt of one- and two-doses of BNT162b2 mRNA (Comirnaty-Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccine over a duration of almost 1 year in the predominantly Omicron period of BA.4/BA.5 and X.B.B sub lineages. This study linked administrative databases between May 2022 and March 2023 to evaluate real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE) for the BNT162b2 mRNA (Comirnaty-Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccine against COVID-19-related hospitalization in the Omicron pre-dominant period with BA.4/BA.5 and X.B.B sub lineages. During the Omicron-predominant period, the cumulative hospitalization rate was almost two times higher for unvaccinated children (9.6 per million population) compared to vaccinated children (6 per million population). The estimated VE against COVID-19 hospitalization for one dose of BNT162b2 was 27% (95% CI - 1%, 47%) and 38% (95% CI 27%, 48%) for two doses. The estimated VE against hospitalization remained stable when stratified by time. VE for the first 90 days was estimated to be 45% (95% CI 33, 55%), followed by 47% (95% CI 34, 56%) between 90 and 180 days, and 36% (95% CI 22, 45%) between 180 and 360 days. Recent infection within 6 months does not appear to modify the impact of vaccination on the risk of hospitalization, subject to the caveat of potential underestimation. In our pediatric population, BNT162b2 provided moderate-non-diminishing protection against COVID-19 hospitalization over almost 1 year of Omicron predominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Jason Jayaraj
- Sector for Biostatistics & Data Repository, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Masliyana Husin
- Institute for Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Jing Lian Suah
- Data, Analytics and Research, Central Bank of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Peter Seah Keng Tok
- Institute for Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Azahadi Omar
- Sector for Biostatistics & Data Repository, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sanjay Rampal
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sheamini Sivasampu
- Institute for Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
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Cardemil CV, Cao Y, Posavad CM, Badell ML, Bunge K, Mulligan MJ, Parameswaran L, Olson-Chen C, Novak RM, Brady RC, DeFranco E, Gerber JS, Pasetti M, Shriver M, Coler R, Berube B, Suthar MS, Moreno A, Gao F, Richardson BA, Beigi R, Brown E, Neuzil KM, Munoz FM. Maternal COVID-19 Vaccination and Prevention of Symptomatic Infection in Infants. Pediatrics 2024; 153:e2023064252. [PMID: 38332733 PMCID: PMC10904887 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-064252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Maternal vaccination may prevent infant coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to quantify protection against infection from maternally derived vaccine-induced antibodies in the first 6 months of an infant's life. METHODS Infants born to mothers vaccinated during pregnancy with 2 or 3 doses of a messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine (nonboosted or boosted, respectively) had full-length spike (Spike) immunoglobulin G (IgG), pseudovirus 614D, and live virus D614G, and omicron BA.1 and BA.5 neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers measured at delivery. Infant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was determined by verified maternal-report and laboratory confirmation through prospective follow-up to 6 months of age between December 2021 and July 2022. The risk reduction for infection by dose group and antibody titer level was estimated in separate models. RESULTS Infants of boosted mothers (n = 204) had significantly higher Spike IgG, pseudovirus, and live nAb titers at delivery than infants of nonboosted mothers (n = 271), and were 56% less likely to acquire infection in the first 6 months (P = .03). Irrespective of boost, for each 10-fold increase in Spike IgG titer at delivery, the infant's risk of acquiring infection was reduced by 47% (95% confidence interval 8%-70%; P = .02). Similarly, a 10-fold increase in pseudovirus titers against Wuhan Spike, and live virus nAb titers against D614G, and omicron BA.1 and BA.5 at delivery were associated with a 30%, 46%, 56%, and 60% risk reduction, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Higher transplacental binding and nAb titers substantially reduced the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants, and a booster dose amplified protection during a period of omicron predominance. Until infants are age-eligible for vaccination, maternal vaccination provides passive protection against symptomatic infection during early infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina V. Cardemil
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Yi Cao
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Christine M. Posavad
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Martina L. Badell
- Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University Hospital Midtown Perinatal Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Katherine Bunge
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Women’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Mark J. Mulligan
- New York University Langone Vaccine Center, and Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Lalitha Parameswaran
- New York University Langone Vaccine Center, and Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Courtney Olson-Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Richard M. Novak
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Rebecca C. Brady
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Emily DeFranco
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Jeffrey S. Gerber
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Marcela Pasetti
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Mallory Shriver
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Rhea Coler
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle, Washington
| | - Bryan Berube
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle, Washington
| | - Mehul S. Suthar
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Alberto Moreno
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Fei Gao
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Barbra A. Richardson
- Departments of Biostatistics and Global Health, University of Washington, Divisions of Vaccine and Infectious Disease and Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Richard Beigi
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Women’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth Brown
- Departments of Biostatistics and Global Health, University of Washington, Divisions of Vaccine and Infectious Disease and Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Kathleen M. Neuzil
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Flor M. Munoz
- Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas
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Mazzara C, Bassi J, Silacci-Fregni C, Muoio F, Passini N, Corti D, Simonetti GD, Vanoni F, Kottanattu L, Piccoli L. Increased breadth and neutralization of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection and vaccination: A serosurveillance study in pediatric patients of Southern Switzerland. Eur J Pediatr 2024; 183:1425-1434. [PMID: 38175262 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-023-05400-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Little information is available about the nature of the immune response in children after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection or vaccination. The aim of this study is to define the seroprevalence and the features of the antibody response in children of Southern Switzerland during the different waves of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. By analyzing 756 sera collected from children aged 0 to 16 years admitted to the Institute of Pediatrics of Southern Switzerland during the prepandemic period (before March 2020) and the first four pandemic waves (between March 2020 and June 2022), we investigated binding titers, cross-reactivity, and neutralizing properties of the serum antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Seroprevalence varied from 6% during the first wave to 14% and 17% during the second and third waves, respectively, peaking at 39% during the fourth wave. The 96 seropositive cases were mostly asymptomatic (42.7%) or showed mild (20.8%) to moderate (32.3%) symptoms. Moderate symptoms and close contact with COVID-19-positive individuals were associated with a higher infection risk (P < 0.001). The antibody response was mainly driven by IgG directed to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of Wuhan-1 SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S). Children infected in the first three waves produced antibodies with up to 11-fold and 5.5-fold reduction in binding and neutralizing titers, respectively, against different SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Beta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5. Such reductions were less pronounced in children infected during the fourth wave, who showed the highest frequency and titers of neutralizing antibodies against the same variants. Compared to infection, vaccination with a Wuhan-1-based messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine induced higher and heterogenous levels of antibodies cross-reacting to the different SARS-CoV-2 variants analyzed. Conclusions: Despite the high burden of COVID-19 in Southern Switzerland, we observed an initial low seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children, which increased in the later waves. The antibody response was poor in the first three waves and improved in the fourth wave, when children produced higher levels of neutralizing antibodies after vaccination or infection with Delta and/or Omicron variants. What is Known: • Children were marginally affected by the initial SARS-CoV-2 variants. • The number of infected and hospitalized children increased after the appearance of the Omicron variants. What is New: • Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children of Southern Switzerland increased overtime. • Children produced higher levels of neutralizing antibodies after vaccination or infection with Delta and/or Omicron variants in the fourth wave compared to children infected in the first three waves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calogero Mazzara
- Institute of Pediatrics of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Bassi
- Humabs Biomed SA, a subsidiary of Vir Biotechnology, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | | | - Francesco Muoio
- Humabs Biomed SA, a subsidiary of Vir Biotechnology, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Nadia Passini
- Humabs Biomed SA, a subsidiary of Vir Biotechnology, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Davide Corti
- Humabs Biomed SA, a subsidiary of Vir Biotechnology, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Giacomo D Simonetti
- Institute of Pediatrics of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Federica Vanoni
- Institute of Pediatrics of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Kottanattu
- Institute of Pediatrics of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Luca Piccoli
- Humabs Biomed SA, a subsidiary of Vir Biotechnology, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
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5
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Wachter F, Knieling F, Raming R, Simon D, Woelfle J, Hoerning A, Neubert A, Rauh M, Regensburger AP. Routine Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Serostatus in Pediatrics Allows Monitoring of Humoral Response. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2919. [PMID: 38138063 PMCID: PMC10745477 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infections during the pandemic was mainly based on PCR testing of symptomatic patients. However, with new variants, vaccinations, and the changing of the clinical disease severity, knowledge about general immunity is elusive. For public health systems, timely knowledge of these conditions is essential, but it is particularly scarce for the pediatric population. Therefore, in this study, we wanted to investigate the spike and nucleocapsid seroprevalence in pediatric patients using routine residual blood tests collected during the pandemic. This prospective observational study was conducted over seven one-month periods. Herein, the latest four time periods (November 2021, January 2022, March 2022, and May 2022) are depicted. Each patient of a tertiary-care center in Germany was anonymized after collection of clinical diagnosis (ICD-10) and then routinely tested for the respective spike and nucleocapsid SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer. A total of 3235 blood samples from four time periods were included. Spike seroprevalence rose from 37.6% to 51.9% to 70.5% to 85.1% and nucleocapsid seroprevalence from 11.6% to 17.0% to 36.7% to 58.1% in May 2022. In detail, significant changes in seroprevalence between age groups but not between sex or diagnosis groups were found. Quantitative measures revealed rising spike and constant nucleocapsid antibody levels over the pandemic with a half-life of 102 days for spike and 45 days for nucleocapsid antibodies. Routine laboratory assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in residual blood specimens of pediatric hospitals enables monitoring of the seroprevalence and may allow inferences about general immunity in this cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Wachter
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
| | - Ferdinand Knieling
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
| | - Roman Raming
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
| | - David Simon
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Joachim Woelfle
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
| | - André Hoerning
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
| | - Antje Neubert
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
| | - Manfred Rauh
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
| | - Adrian P. Regensburger
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (F.W.); (R.R.)
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Wee LE, Tang N, Pang D, Chiew C, Yung CF, Chong CY, Lee V, Ong B, Lye DC, Tan KB. Effectiveness of Monovalent mRNA Vaccines Against Omicron XBB Infection in Singaporean Children Younger Than 5 Years. JAMA Pediatr 2023; 177:1324-1331. [PMID: 37843856 PMCID: PMC10580153 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.4505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Importance Literature on vaccine effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for children younger than 5 years is limited. Objective To report the effectiveness of monovalent mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection among Singaporean children aged 1 through 4 years during a COVID-19 pandemic wave of the Omicron XBB variant. Design, Setting, and Participants This was a population-based cohort study, conducted over a 6-month study period from October 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023, after the implementation of community vaccination among all Singaporean children aged 1 through 4 years. The study period was dominated by the Omicron XBB subvariant. Exposure Receipt of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines. Main Outcome Measure Vaccine effectiveness against confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The adjusted incidence rate ratio for confirmed infections using Poisson regression was reported, with the reference group being those who were unvaccinated. Analyses were stratified by prior documented SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results A total of 121 628 children (median [IQR] age, 3.1 [2.2-3.9] years; 61 925 male [50.9%]) were included in the study, contributing 21 015 956 person-days of observation. The majority of children (11 294 of 11 705 [96.5%]) received the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna). Vaccine effectiveness against confirmed infection was 45.2% (95% CI, 24.7%-60.2%) in partially vaccinated, infection-naive children and 63.3% (95% CI, 40.6%-77.3%) in fully vaccinated, infection-naive children compared with the unvaccinated group. Among previously infected children, vaccine effectiveness against reinfections in those with at least 1 vaccine dose was estimated at 74.6% (95% CI, 38.7%-89.5%). Conclusions and Relevance Study results suggest that completion of a primary mRNA vaccine series provided protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in children aged 1 through 4 years. Although incidence of hospitalization and severe illness is low in this age group, there is potential benefit of vaccination in preventing infection and potential sequelae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang En Wee
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | | | | | - Calvin Chiew
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
- Ministry of Health, Singapore
| | - Chee-Fu Yung
- Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore
| | - Chia Yin Chong
- Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vernon Lee
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
- Ministry of Health, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Benjamin Ong
- Ministry of Health, Singapore
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - David Chien Lye
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - Kelvin Bryan Tan
- Ministry of Health, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Tulling AJ, Lugthart G, Mooij MG, Brackel CLH, Terheggen-Lagro SWJ, Oostenbrink R, Buysse CMP, Hashimoto S, Armbrust W, Bannier MAGE, Bekhof J, van Gameren-Oosterom HB, Hendriks H, van Houten MA, van der Linden JW, Lebon A, van Onzenoort-Bokken L, Tramper-Stranders GA, van Veen M, von Asmuth EGJ, Buddingh EP. Severe Pediatric COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children From Wild-type to Population Immunity: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study With Real-time Reporting. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2023; 42:1077-1085. [PMID: 37823702 PMCID: PMC10629607 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000004098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 variant evolution and increasing immunity altered the impact of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection. Public health decision-making relies on accurate and timely reporting of clinical data. METHODS This international hospital-based multicenter, prospective cohort study with real-time reporting was active from March 2020 to December 2022. We evaluated longitudinal incident rates and risk factors for disease severity. RESULTS We included 564 hospitalized children with acute COVID-19 (n = 375) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (n = 189) from the Netherlands, Curaçao and Surinam. In COVID-19, 134/375 patients (36%) needed supplemental oxygen therapy and 35 (9.3%) required intensive care treatment. Age above 12 years and preexisting pulmonary conditions were predictors for severe COVID-19. During omicron, hospitalized children had milder disease. During population immunity, the incidence rate of pediatric COVID-19 infection declined for older children but was stable for children below 1 year. The incidence rate of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children was highest during the delta wave and has decreased rapidly since omicron emerged. Real-time reporting of our data impacted national pediatric SARS-CoV-2 vaccination- and booster-policies. CONCLUSIONS Our data supports the notion that similar to adults, prior immunity protects against severe sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children. Real-time reporting of accurate and high-quality data is feasible and impacts clinical and public health decision-making. The reporting framework of our consortium is readily accessible for future SARS-CoV-2 waves and other emerging infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Tulling
- From the Department of Pediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gertjan Lugthart
- From the Department of Pediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Miriam G. Mooij
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Suzanne W. J. Terheggen-Lagro
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Rianne Oostenbrink
- Department of General Pediatrics, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Corinne M. P. Buysse
- Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Simone Hashimoto
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Wineke Armbrust
- Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jolita Bekhof
- Department of Pediatrics, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, the Netherlands
| | | | - Han Hendriks
- Department of Pediatrics, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Ankie Lebon
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Dordrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Mirjam van Veen
- Department of Pediatrics, Juliana Children’s Hospital, Hagaziekenhuis, the Hague, the Netherlands
| | - Erik G. J. von Asmuth
- From the Department of Pediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Emilie P. Buddingh
- From the Department of Pediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Veltkamp F, Thenot V, Mussies C, van Lieshout B, Peters-Sengers H, Kers J, Khan DH, Hogan J, Florquin S, Bouts AHM, Dossier C. Incidence of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Paris area (France) and in the Netherlands. Pediatr Nephrol 2023; 38:3681-3692. [PMID: 37191940 PMCID: PMC10186275 DOI: 10.1007/s00467-023-06006-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aetiology of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) remains partially unknown. Viral infections have been associated with INS onset. Since we observed fewer first onset INS cases during the Covid-19 pandemic, we hypothesised that lower INS incidence was the result of lockdown measures. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of childhood INS before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in two independent European INS cohorts. METHODS Children with new INS in the Netherlands (2018-2021) and Paris area (2018-2021) were included. We estimated incidences using census data for each region. Incidences were compared using two proportion Z-tests. RESULTS A total of 128 and 324 cases of first onset INS were reported in the Netherlands and Paris area, respectively, corresponding to an annual incidence of 1.21 and 2.58 per 100,000 children/year. Boys and young children (< 7 years) were more frequently affected. Incidence before and during the pandemic did not differ. When schools were closed, incidence was lower in both regions: 0.53 vs. 1.31 (p = 0.017) in the Netherlands and 0.94 vs. 2.63 (p = 0.049) in the Paris area. During peaks of hospital admissions for Covid-19, no cases were reported in the Netherlands or Paris area. CONCLUSIONS Incidence of INS before and during the Covid-19 pandemic was not different, but when schools were closed during lockdown, incidence was significantly lower. Interestingly, incidences of other respiratory viral infections were also reduced as was air pollution. Together, these results argue for a link between INS onset and viral infections and/or environmental factors. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floor Veltkamp
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1109 AZ, The Netherlands.
| | - Victoire Thenot
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Robert-Debré Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
| | - Carlijn Mussies
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1109 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Bas van Lieshout
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1109 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Hessel Peters-Sengers
- Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jesper Kers
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Djera H Khan
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Julien Hogan
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Robert-Debré Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Florquin
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Antonia H M Bouts
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1109 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Dossier
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Robert-Debré Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
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9
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Hart JD, Ong DS, Chokephaibulkit K, Ong-Lim AT, Vereti I, Crawford NW, Russell F. Considerations for vaccinating children against COVID-19. BMJ Paediatr Open 2023; 7:e001964. [PMID: 37487674 PMCID: PMC10373744 DOI: 10.1136/bmjpo-2023-001964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines have been introduced in children and adolescents in many countries. However, high levels of community transmission and infection-derived immunity make the decision to introduce COVID-19 vaccination of children in countries yet to do so particularly challenging. For example, other vaccine preventable diseases, including measles and polio, generally have far higher childhood morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) than COVID-19, and coverage with these vaccines has declined during the pandemic. Many countries are yet to introduce pneumococcal conjugate and rotavirus vaccines for children, which prevent common causes of childhood death, or human papillomavirus vaccine for adolescents. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines that have been widely tested in children and adolescents have a positive risk-benefit profile. However, the benefit is less compared with other life-saving vaccines in this age group, particularly in LMICs and settings with widespread infection-derived immunity. The resources required for rollout may also pose a considerable challenge in LMICs. In this paper, we describe COVID-19 in children, with a focus on LMICs, and summarise the published literature on safety, efficacy and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in children and adolescents. We highlight the complexity of decision-making regarding COVID-19 vaccination of children now that most of this low-risk population benefit from infection-derived immunity. We emphasise that at-risk groups should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination; and that if COVID-19 vaccines are introduced for children, the opportunity should be taken to improve coverage of routine childhood vaccines and preventative healthcare. Additionally, we highlight the paucity of epidemiological data in LMICs, and that for future epidemics, measures need to be taken to ensure equitable access to safe and efficacious vaccines before exposure to infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Hart
- Infection, Immunity and Global Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Darren Suryawijaya Ong
- Infection, Immunity and Global Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kulkanya Chokephaibulkit
- Siriraj Institute of Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Anna T Ong-Lim
- Division of Infectious and Tropical Disease in Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines
| | - Ilisapeci Vereti
- Department of Paediatrics, Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Suva, Fiji
| | - Nigel W Crawford
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- General Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fiona Russell
- Infection, Immunity and Global Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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10
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Miteva D, Kitanova M, Batselova H, Lazova S, Chervenkov L, Peshevska-Sekulovska M, Sekulovski M, Gulinac M, Vasilev GV, Tomov L, Velikova T. The End or a New Era of Development of SARS-CoV-2 Virus: Genetic Variants Responsible for Severe COVID-19 and Clinical Efficacy of the Most Commonly Used Vaccines in Clinical Practice. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1181. [PMID: 37514997 PMCID: PMC10385722 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11071181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global health emergency, the disease is still a global threat. To be able to manage such pandemics in the future, it is necessary to develop proper strategies and opportunities to protect human life. The data on the SARS-CoV-2 virus must be continuously analyzed, and the possibilities of mutation and the emergence of new, more infectious variants must be anticipated, as well as the options of using different preventive and therapeutic techniques. This is because the fast development of severe acute coronavirus 2 syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern have posed a significant problem for COVID-19 pandemic control using the presently available vaccinations. This review summarizes data on the SARS-CoV-2 variants that are responsible for severe COVID-19 and the clinical efficacy of the most commonly used vaccines in clinical practice. The consequences after the disease (long COVID or post-COVID conditions) continue to be the subject of studies and research, and affect social and economic life worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrina Miteva
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 8 Dragan Tzankov str., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Meglena Kitanova
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 8 Dragan Tzankov str., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Hristiana Batselova
- Department of Epidemiology and Disaster Medicine, University Hospital "Saint George", Medical University, 6000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Snezhina Lazova
- Pediatric Department, University Hospital "N. I. Pirogov," 21 "General Eduard I. Totleben" Blvd, 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Healthcare, Faculty of Public Health "Prof. Tsekomir Vodenicharov, MD, DSc", Medical University of Sofia, Bialo More 8 str., 1527 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Lyubomir Chervenkov
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Medical University Plovdiv, Bul. Vasil Aprilov 15A, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Monika Peshevska-Sekulovska
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Lozenetz, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
- Medical Faculty, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Metodija Sekulovski
- Medical Faculty, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital Lozenetz, 1 Kozyak str., 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Milena Gulinac
- Department of General and Clinical Pathology, Medical University of Plovdiv, Bul. Vasil Aprilov 15A, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Georgi V Vasilev
- Clinic of Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders, UMHAT "Sv. Georgi", 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Luchesar Tomov
- Department of Informatics, New Bulgarian University, Montevideo 21 str., 1618 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tsvetelina Velikova
- Medical Faculty, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
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Merid Y, Tekleselasie W, Tesfaye E, Gadisa A, Fentahun D, Abate A, Alemu A, Mihret A, Mulu A, Gelanew T. SARS-CoV-2 Infection-and mRNA Vaccine-induced Humoral Immunity among Schoolchildren in Hawassa, Ethiopia. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1163688. [PMID: 37398668 PMCID: PMC10308774 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1163688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background With the persisting low vaccination intake, particularly in children of low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), seroepidemiological studies are urgently needed to guide and tailor COVID-19 pandemic response efforts in schools and to put mitigation strategies in place for a future post-pandemic resurgence. However, there is limited data on SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced and vaccine-induced humoral immunity in schoolchildren in LMICs, including Ethiopia. Methods As the spike receptor binding domain (RBD) is the major target for neutralization antibodies and useful to predict the correlates of protection, we used an in-house anti-RBD IgG ELISA to assess and compare infection-induced antibody response at two-time points and BNT162b2 (BNT) vaccine-induced antibody response at a one-time point in schoolchildren in Hawassa, Ethiopia. In addition, we measured and compared the levels of binding IgA antibodies to spike RBD of SARS-CoV-2 Wild type, Delta, and Omicron variants in a small subset of unvaccinated and BNT-vaccinated schoolchildren. Results When we compare SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced seroprevalences among unvaccinated school children (7-19 years) at the two blood sampling points with a 5-month interval, we observed an over 10% increase, from 51.8% (219/419) in the first week of December 2021 (post-Delta wave) to 67.4% (60/89) by the end of May 2022 (post-Omicron wave). Additionally, we found a significant correlation (p = 0.001) between anti-RBD IgG seropositivity and a history of having COVID-19-like symptoms. Compared to the levels of SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced anti-RBD IgG antibodies before vaccination, higher levels of BNT vaccine-induced anti-RBD IgG antibodies were observed even in SARS-CoV-2 infection-naïve schoolchildren of all age groups (p = 0.0001). Importantly, one dose of the BNT vaccine was shown to be adequate to elicit a strong antibody response in schoolchildren with pre-existing anti-RBD IgG antibodies comparable to that of SARS-CoV-2 infection-naive schoolchildren receiving two doses of BNT vaccine, suggesting a single dose administration of the BNT vaccine could be considered for schoolchildren who had prior SARS-CoV-2 infection when a shortage of vaccine supply is a limiting factor to administer two doses irrespective of their serostatus. Despite the small sample size of study participants, the BNT vaccine is shown to be immunogenic and safe for schoolchildren. Irrespective of schoolchildren's vaccination status, we observed a similar pattern of significantly higher levels of IgA antibodies to Delta-RBD than to Omicron-RBD (p < 0.001) in a randomly selected subset of schoolchildren, yet comparable to Wuhan-RBD, suggesting these schoolchildren were more likely to have had SARS-CoV-2 infection with Delta variant. Additionally, we noted a broader IgA antibody reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 variants in vaccinated schoolchildren with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, supporting the superiority of hybrid immunity. Conclusion Our serological data indicate a significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children at a post-Omicron five-month follow-up compared to a post-Delta enrolment. Despite the small sample size of study participants, the BNT vaccine is shown to be immunogenic and safe for schoolchildren. Hybrid immunity would likely provide a broader humoral immunity against Wuhan strain, Delta, and Omicron variants than natural infection or vaccination alone does. However, future longitudinal cohort studies in SARS-CoV-2-naïve and COVID-19-recovered schoolchildren receiving the BNT vaccine are needed for a better understanding of the kinetics, breadth, and durability of BNT vaccine-induced multivariant-cross reactive immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yared Merid
- College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Emnet Tesfaye
- College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | - Anteneh Gadisa
- College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | | | | | - Aynalem Alemu
- Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Adane Mihret
- Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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12
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Piechotta V, Siemens W, Thielemann I, Toews M, Koch J, Vygen-Bonnet S, Kothari K, Grummich K, Braun C, Kapp P, Labonté V, Wichmann O, Meerpohl JJ, Harder T. Safety and effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 in children aged 5-11 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2023; 7:379-391. [PMID: 37084750 PMCID: PMC10112865 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(23)00078-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date, more than 761 million confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections have been recorded globally, and more than half of all children are estimated to be seropositive. Despite high SARS-CoV-2 infection incidences, the rate of severe COVID-19 in children is low. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy or effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines approved in the EU for children aged 5-11 years. METHODS In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we included studies of any design identified through searching the COVID-19 L·OVE (living overview of evidence) platform up to Jan 23, 2023. We included studies with participants aged 5-11 years, with any COVID-19 vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency-ie, mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), BNT162b2 Bivalent (against original strain and omicron [BA.4 or BA.5]), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), or mRNA-1273.214 (against original strain and omicron BA.1). Efficacy and effectiveness outcomes were SARS-CoV-2 infection (PCR-confirmed or antigen-test confirmed), symptomatic COVID-19, hospital admission due to COVID-19, COVID-19-related mortality, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and long-term effects of COVID-19 (long COVID or post-COVID-19 condition as defined by study investigators or per WHO definition). Safety outcomes of interest were serious adverse events, adverse events of special interest (eg, myocarditis), solicited local and systemic events, and unsolicited adverse events. We assessed risk of bias and rated the certainty of evidence (CoE) using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. This study was prospectively registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022306822. FINDINGS Of 5272 screened records, we included 51 (1·0%) studies (n=17 [33%] in quantitative synthesis). Vaccine effectiveness after two doses against omicron infections was 41·6% (95% CI 28·1-52·6; eight non-randomised studies of interventions [NRSIs]; CoE low), 36·2% (21·5-48·2; six NRSIs; CoE low) against symptomatic COVID-19, 75·3% (68·0-81·0; six NRSIs; CoE moderate) against COVID-19-related hospitalisations, and 78% (48-90, one NRSI; CoE very low) against MIS-C. Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related mortality was not estimable. Crude event rates for deaths in unvaccinated children were less than one case per 100 000 children, and no events were reported for vaccinated children (four NRSIs; CoE low). No study on vaccine effectiveness against long-term effects was identified. Vaccine effectiveness after three doses was 55% (50-60; one NRSI; CoE moderate) against omicron infections, and 61% (55-67; one NRSI; CoE moderate) against symptomatic COVID-19. No study reported vaccine efficacy or effectiveness against hospitalisation following a third dose. Safety data suggested no increased risk of serious adverse events (risk ratio [RR] 0·83 [95% CI 0·21-3·33]; two randomised controlled trials; CoE low), with approximately 0·23-1·2 events per 100 000 administered vaccines reported in real-life observations. Evidence on the risk of myocarditis was uncertain (RR 4·6 [0·1-156·1]; one NRSI; CoE low), with 0·13-1·04 observed events per 100 000 administered vaccines. The risk of solicited local reactions was 2·07 (1·80-2·39; two RCTs; CoE moderate) after one dose and 2·06 (1·70-2·49; two RCTs; CoE moderate) after two doses. The risk of solicited systemic reactions was 1·09 (1·04-1·16; two RCTs; CoE moderate) after one dose and 1·49 (1·34-1·65; two RCTs; CoE moderate) after two doses. The risk of unsolicited adverse events after two doses (RR 1·21 [1·07-1·38]; CoE moderate) was higher among mRNA-vaccinated compared with unvaccinated children. INTERPRETATION In children aged 5-11 years, mRNA vaccines are moderately effective against infections with the omicron variant, but probably protect well against COVID-19 hospitalisations. Vaccines were reactogenic but probably safe. Findings of this systematic review can serve as a basis for public health policy and individual decision making on COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5-11 years. FUNDING German Federal Joint Committee.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Waldemar Siemens
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Markus Toews
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Judith Koch
- Immunisation Unit, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Kathrin Grummich
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Cordula Braun
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Kapp
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Valérie Labonté
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ole Wichmann
- Immunisation Unit, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joerg J Meerpohl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Harder
- Immunisation Unit, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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