Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41057795›Full record

SynthesisBMC infectious diseases2025

The efficacy and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Seyede Maryam Mousavi, Sobhan Younesian, Masud Yunesian, Akbar Fotouhi

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. 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

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

4 authors.

Seyede Maryam Mousavi *School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-3618-1451
Sobhan Younesian *School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-1124-3311
Masud YunesianDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2870-7433
Akbar FotouhiDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. afotouhi@tums.ac.ir.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6438-6833

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWith the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increasing demand for comprehensive data on vaccine effectiveness disaggregated by country. Such information will provide insights into national immunization policy differences and lay the groundwork for future pandemic readiness plans. This study evaluates the efficacy and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in Iran.

methodsA systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to February 1, 2025. Studies assessing COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness or efficacy in Iran without restrictions on variants or vaccine platforms were included in the systematic review. Meta-analysis using the random effects model was performed to estimate the pooled effectiveness of combined vaccination platforms against hospital admission and death outcomes.

resultsTwo randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 11 observational studies were included in the systematic review, and five observational studies were included in the meta-analysis. Based on the meta-analysis, considering all vaccination platforms combined, the pooled effectiveness of 2-dose COVID-19 vaccines against hospital admission and death was 51.1% (21.8 to 69.5) and 55.7% (-1.5 to 80.7), respectively. Against infection, RCTs reported efficacies of 50.2% and 49.7%, while observational studies reported effectiveness ranging from 63.9% to 87.1% for different vaccines.

conclusionVaccine effectiveness varied substantially across the studies, with unique patterns related to Iran's situation during the pandemic, including the high number of different deployed vaccines. The lack of sufficient studies and high heterogeneity between the included studies have limited the understanding of COVID-19 vaccines' effectiveness in Iran.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesSARS-CoV-2Vaccine EfficacyHospitalizationHumansIranObservational Studies as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicVaccinationCOVID-19 VaccinesCoronavirusImmunizationPersianPreventionSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID41057795
PMCPMC12502186

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.