Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41013275›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025

Assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness in health workers: a cohort study conducted during the pandemic decline phase in five hospitals, affiliated to Al-Azhar University- Egypt.

Zeinab Nabil Ahmed Said, Iman I Salama, Samy Zaky, Sumaya H El Shazly, Amagd A Elzahaby, Shaaban Salah El Azhary, Fathiya El-Raey, Khaled A Eid, Areej Rushdi, Aya Ghamry and 36 more

Erratum issuedAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

46 authors.

Zeinab Nabil Ahmed SaidMedical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. zeinabnabil@azhar.edu.eg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9788-9058
Iman I SalamaCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Samy ZakyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt.
Sumaya H El ShazlyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt.
Amagd A ElzahabyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Shaaban Salah El AzharyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Fathiya El-RaeyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damitta, Egypt.
Khaled A EidHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Areej RushdiMedical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Aya GhamryMedical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Arwa KamhawyMedical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Asmaa M El-NasserMedical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Hazem M El-HaririCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Somaia I SalamaCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Ghada A ElshaarawyCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Doaa E AhmedCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Sherif E EldeebCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Rehan SalehCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Dalia M ElmosalamiCommunity Medicine Research Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, 60014618, Egypt.
Eman ElshemyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt.
Naglaa A ElgendyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt.
Neamat Abdelmageed AbdelmageedHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt.
Alshaimaa M M EidHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt.
Shaymaa M MohammedClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Alshaymaa A Abdel AlimClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed E AhmedHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed S KadahDermatology and Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohamed A ShaheenClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Abdou Mabrouk ElshafeiHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ibrahim Metwally BayoumyClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Badawy W AbobakrClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohamed Mousa HeggazyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed M GhazyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Walaa M O AshryMedical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt.
Atef W ElrifaiChest Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt.
Mustafa A HaridyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Emad AbdelrazzakHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Amro M HassanHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Ahmed Qasem MohammedHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Omran Mohamed AbdelmolaHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Safwat Salama SawyHepato-Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Zahra KarimianDivision of Science, Information and Dissemination, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.
Mehrnaz KheirandishDivision of Science, Information and Dissemination, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.
Kamal FahmyDivision of Communicable Diseases, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.
Arash RashidianDivision of Science, Information and Dissemination, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.
Mahmoud SeddikVice President of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveA cohort study was conducted with the support of the WHO, where a standardized WHO protocol was followed to assess vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic RT‒PCR confirmed SARS‒CoV-2 infection among hospital health workers (HWs) eligible for vaccination at Al-Azhar University hospitals.

methodsA WHO-supported cohort study was conducted from July 2022 through September 2023 and included 1249 HWs who were randomly selected and followed up biweekly for one year. At enrollment, nasopharyngeal (NP) and blood samples were collected from each participant and evaluated to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA via a real-time PCR assay (QIAGEN) and for the quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 binding antibodies via the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S immunoassay (Roche Diagnostics, GmbH, Germany). During follow-up, NP samples were collected from anyone who developed symptoms consistent with the WHO definition of suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

resultsAt enrollment, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 119/1235 (9.6%) HWs and 89% of the participants with positive RNA were asymptomatic. COVID-19-binding antibodies were detected among 1245/1248 (99.8%) HWs, and 53.2% of them had titers > 2500 U/mL, regardless of vaccination status. During follow-up, 232 participants had COVID-19 symptoms, but only 108 provided NP samples, and 18 (16.7%) of them were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. No hospitalization or mortality was recordedat enrollment or during the follow-up period. The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 infection was higher among HWs with incomplete vaccination compared to unvaccinated, fully vaccinated, or those who received booster doses (P = 0.025). There was no significant difference in VE among HWs who were fully vaccinated or had booster doses compared with unvaccinated HWs, with adjusted VE values of 68% (95% CI -28-92%) and 64% (95% CI -170-95%), respectively (P = 0.106 and 0.318 respectively). The adjusted VE increased to 89% (95% CI -33-99%) among HWs with hybrid immunity compared with those who were unvaccinated with a previous COVID-19 infection (P = 0.082).

conclusionThis study indicates that VE against symptomatic lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was quite high with over 60% protection and was higher among HWs with hybrid immunity (immunity due to a combination of previous infection and vaccination) compared to unvaccinated HWs with previous COVID-19 infection. The findings also highlight the importance of completing the primary vaccination series against COVID-19. This study reveals a high rate of asymptomatic COVID-19, a lower rate of confirmed cases, who showed marked decrease in hospitalization and fatality rates. Real-world VE studies are essential to address several unresolved issues, such as the appropriate number of booster doses and the longevity of protection.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesHealth PersonnelSARS-CoV-2Vaccine EfficacyAdultAntibodies, ViralCohort StudiesEgyptFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRNA, ViralVaccinationYoung AdultAntibodies, ViralCOVID-19 VaccinesRNA, ViralBinding antibodiesCohort studyCOVID-19Health workersRT‒PCRVaccine effectiveness

Identifiers

PMID41013275
PMCPMC12465424

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.