Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39724693›Full record

ArticleVaccine2025

Relative effectiveness of the second booster COVID-19 vaccines against laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers: VEBIS HCW VE cohort study (1 October 2022-2 May 2023).

Camelia Savulescu, Albert Prats-Uribe, Kim Brolin, Anneli Uusküla, Colm Bergin, Catherine Fleming, Viesturs Zvirbulis, Dace Zavadska, Konstanty Szułdrzyński, Vânia Gaio and 27 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Vaccine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Observational
  3. Article
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

37 authors.

Camelia SavulescuDepartment of Epidemiology, Epiconcept, Paris, France. Electronic address: c.savulescu@epiconcept.fr.
Albert Prats-UribeDepartment of Epidemiology, Epiconcept, Paris, France.
Kim BrolinEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anneli UuskülaInstitute of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
Colm BerginDepartment of Genitourinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDe), St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Catherine FlemingGalway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland; Department of Medicine, University of Galway, Dublin, Ireland.
Viesturs ZvirbulisPauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Dace ZavadskaChildren Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Konstanty SzułdrzyńskiNational Institute of Medicine of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Warsaw, Poland.
Vânia GaioDepartment of Epidemiology, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal.
Corneliu Petru PopescuVictor Babes Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Bucharest, Romania; Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
Mihai CraiuCarol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; National Institute for Mother and Child Care Alessandrescu Rusescu, Bucharest, Romania.
Maria CisnerosInstitut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain; Medicine Department, Universitat internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Miriam Latorre-MillánResearch Group on Difficult to Diagnose and Treat Infections, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS, Aragon, Zaragoza, Spain.
Liis LohurViljandi Hospital, Viljandi, Estonia.
Jonathan McGrathDepartment of Genitourinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDe), St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Lauren FergusonGalway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland.
Ilze AbolinaPauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Dagne GraveleChildren Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Ausenda MachadoDepartment of Epidemiology, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal.
Simin Aysel FlorescuVictor Babes Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Bucharest, Romania; Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
Mihaela LazarCantacuzino National Military-Medical Institute for Research and Development, Bucharest, Romania.
Pilar SubiratsDepartment of Occupational Risk Prevention, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain.
Laura Clusa CuestaResearch Group on Difficult to Diagnose and Treat Infections, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS, Aragon, Zaragoza, Spain.
Jacklyn SuiDepartment of Genitourinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDe), St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Claire KennyGalway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland.
Dainis KrievinsPauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Elza Anna BarzdinaChildren Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Aryse MeloDepartment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal.
Alma Gabriela KosaVictor Babes Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Bucharest, Romania.
Victor Daniel MironCarol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; National Institute for Mother and Child Care Alessandrescu Rusescu, Bucharest, Romania.
Carmen Muñoz-AlmagroInstitut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain; Ciber of Epidemiology and Public Health CIBERESP, Madrid,Spain; Medicine Department, Universitat internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Ana María MilagroResearch Group on Difficult to Diagnose and Treat Infections, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS, Aragon, Zaragoza, Spain.
Sabrina BacciEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden.
Piotr KramarzEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anthony NardoneDepartment of Epidemiology, Epiconcept, Paris, France.
VEBIS HCW Study Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionRepeated COVID-19 booster vaccination was recommended in healthcare workers (HCWs) to maintain protection. We measured the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of the second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine compared to the first booster, against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs.

methodsIn a prospective cohort study among HCWs from 12 European hospitals, we collected nasopharyngeal or saliva samples at enrolment and during weekly/fortnightly follow-up between October 2022 and May 2023. We estimated rVE of the second versus first COVID-19 vaccine booster dose against SARS-CoV-2 infection, overall, by time since second booster and restricted to the bivalent vaccines only. Using Cox regression, we calculated the rVE as (1-hazard ratio)*100, adjusting for hospital, age, sex, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and at least one underlying condition.

resultsAmong the 979 included HCWs eligible for a second booster vaccination, 392 (40 %) received it and 192 (20 %) presented an infection during the study period. The rVE of the second versus first booster dose was -5 % (95 %CI: -46; 25) overall, 3 % (-46; 36) in the 7-89 days after receiving the second booster dose. The rVE was 11 % (-43; 45) when restricted to the use of bivalent vaccines only.

conclusionThe bivalent COVID-19 could have reduced the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs by 11 %. However, we note the limitation of imprecise rVE estimates due to the proportion of monovalent vaccine used in the study, the small sample size and the study being conducted during the predominant circulation of XBB.1.5 sub-lineage. COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness studies in HCWs can provide important evidence to inform the optimal timing and the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesHealth PersonnelImmunization, SecondarySARS-CoV-2Vaccine EfficacyAdultEuropeFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesCOVID-19 VaccinesCOVID-19COVID-19 vaccinesEuropeHealthcare workersSARS-CoV-2Vaccine effectiveness

Identifiers

PMID39724693
PMCPMC11790529

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.