Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42332584›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2026

Global disparities in COVID-19 vaccine coverage associated with trajectories of SARS-CoV-2 adaptation.

Lingyue Yang, Ziqin Zhou, Qiushi Lin, Yuyang Chen, Yamin Sun, Zengmiao Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lingyue YangBeijing Key Laboratory of Surveillance, Early Warning and Pathogen Research on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Beijing Research Center for Respiratory Infectious Diseases, National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Center for Global Change and Public Health, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Ziqin ZhouBeijing Key Laboratory of Surveillance, Early Warning and Pathogen Research on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Beijing Research Center for Respiratory Infectious Diseases, National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Center for Global Change and Public Health, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Qiushi LinDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Yuyang ChenNational Engineering Research Center of Eco-Environment in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China Three Gorges Corporation, Wuhan, China.
Yamin SunNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Zengmiao WangBeijing Key Laboratory of Surveillance, Early Warning and Pathogen Research on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Beijing Research Center for Respiratory Infectious Diseases, National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Center for Global Change and Public Health, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. wangzengmiao@gmail.com.

Funding

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities 2233300001Key research projects of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation-Haidian District Joint Fund L232014National Natural Science Foundation of China 82204160National Science and Technology Major Project 2025ZD01900203Research on Key Technologies of Plague Prevention and Control in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 2021ZD0006Science and Technology Projects of XizangAutonomous Region, China XZ202501JD0012
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVaccination serves as an effective intervention for health promotion and disease prevention across the socioecological systems and has played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, global disparities in vaccine coverage have increased uncertainty about the trajectories of viral adaptation, and the potential interplay between SARS-CoV-2 adaptation and vaccine rollout warrants further quantification.

methodsUsing over 13 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes across 86 countries from March 2020 to September 2022, we analyzed nonlinear associations between SARS-CoV-2 adaptation and vaccination coverage, considering public health and social measures, international travel, and infection dynamics, before and after the emergence of Omicron. Additionally, we examined the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 adaptation and COVID-19 mortality.

resultsDuring the pre-Omicron period, we found positive associations between nonsynonymous to synonymous divergence (dN/dS) ratios in the S1 subunit and medium levels of adjusted vaccine coverage (effect size: 0.96 [95% CI 0.47, 1.45]), while the association became insignificant at high levels (effect size: -1.89 [95% CI -4.20, 0.43]). However, no significant associations were found when Omicron dominated, possibly due to the immune escape ability of Omicron variants and the complex immune landscape shaped by mass hybrid immunity. Moreover, we observed evidence of dynamic interdependence and positive correlations between COVID-19 mortality and SARS-CoV-2 adaptation, with COVID-19 mortality interpreted as a proxy for uncontrolled viral spread.

conclusionsOur findings suggest a complex nonlinear relationship between vaccine-induced immunity and SARS-CoV-2 adaptation, with high vaccine coverage potentially linked to lower positive selection. We also observed directional coupling between COVID-19 mortality and SARS-CoV-2 adaptation. This may have implications for fair and fast vaccination in pandemic preparedness and response. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesSARS-CoV-2Vaccination CoverageGlobal HealthHumansPandemicsCOVID-19 VaccinesCOVID-19Natural immunitySARS-CoV-2 adaptationVaccine disparitiesVaccines

Identifiers

PMID42332584
PMCPMC13540817

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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.