Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36851161›Full record

ArticleVaccines2023

Immunogenicity and SARS-CoV-2 Infection following the Fourth BNT162b2 Booster Dose among Health Care Workers.

Yael Shachor-Meyouhas, Halima Dabaja-Younis, Avi Magid, Ronit Leiba, Moran Szwarcwort-Cohen, Ronit Almog, Michal Mekel, Avi Weissman, Gila Hyams, Vardit Gepstein and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Vaccines, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Yael Shachor-MeyouhasPediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.ORCID 0000-0002-8353-0108
Halima Dabaja-YounisPediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.
Avi MagidManagement, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.ORCID 0000-0002-6923-1806
Ronit LeibaEpidemiology Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.
Moran Szwarcwort-CohenVirology Laboratory, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.
Ronit AlmogEpidemiology Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.
Michal MekelThe Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
Avi WeissmanManagement, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.
Gila HyamsNursing Management, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.
Vardit GepsteinThe Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
Nethanel A HorowitzThe Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
Hagar Cohen SabanNursing Management, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel.
Jalal TarabeiaNursing Faculty, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley 1930600, Israel.
Michael HalberthalThe Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.ORCID 0000-0003-3172-7619
Khetam HusseinThe Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.ORCID 0000-0002-9754-7955

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe fourth SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose was found to protect against infection and more importantly against severe disease and death. It was also shown that the risk of symptomatic or severe disease was related to the antibody levels after vaccination or infection, with lower protection against the BA.4 BA.5 Omicron variants. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of the fourth dose on infection and perception of illness seriousness among healthcare workers (HCWs) at a tertiary health care campus in Haifa, Israel, and to investigate the possible protective effect of antibody levels against infection.

methodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study among fully vaccinated HCWs and retired employees at Rambam Healthcare Campus (RHCC), a tertiary hospital in northern Israel. Participants underwent serial serological tests at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months following the second BNT162b2 vaccine dose. Only a part of the participants chose to receive the fourth vaccine. A multivariable logistic regression was conducted to test the adjusted association between vaccination, and the risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2. Kaplan-Meier SARS-CoV-2 free "survival" analysis was conducted to compare the waning effect of the first and second, third and fourth vaccines. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted for different values of the sixth serology to identify workers at risk for disease.

resultsDisease occurrence was more frequent among females, people age 40-50 years old and those with background chronic lung disease. The fourth vaccine was found to have better protection against infection, compared to the third vaccine; however, it also had a faster waning immunity compared to the third vaccine dose. Antibody titer of 955 AU/mL was found as a cutoff protecting from infection.

conclusionsWe found that the fourth vaccine dose had a protective effect, but shorter than the third vaccine dose. Cutoff point of 955 AU/mL was recognized for protection from illness. The decision to vaccinate the population with a booster dose should consider other factors, including the spread of disease at the point, chronic comorbidities and age, especially during shortage of vaccine supply.

Indexed as

boosterCOVID-19health care workersImmunogenicityserology

Identifiers

PMID36851161
PMCPMC9958857

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.