COVID-19 Vaccination: Clinical Response, Influencing Factors, Development Prospects

A special issue of Journal of Personalized Medicine (ISSN 2075-4426). This special issue belongs to the section "Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2023) | Viewed by 19810

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
Interests: immunology; rheumatology; cytokines; antiphospholipid syndrome

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Guest Editor
1. Pulmonary Dept of First ICU Clinic, Evangelismos Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece
2. School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 10561 Athens, Greece
Interests: asthma; smoking cessation; infections; tobacco control; inflammation; COPD; antioxidants
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and is expecting vaccines to be game changers. After a universal race, some vaccines have been approved and many others have been rolled out. Four months after COVID-19 vaccination beginning in many countries, however, many challenges remain, as listed below:

  • Accelerating thedevelopment of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19;
  • Population prioritized for vaccination and fair and equitable allocationof vaccines for all countries;
  • Safety and adverse events seen after clinical trial;
  • Effective pharmacovigilance strategies;
  • COVID-19 variants and vaccines;
  • Length of effectiveness of vaccines;
  • Influencing factors in vaccine response;
  • Clinical responses;
  • Chances of getting COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated;
  • Spreading COVID-19 after being vaccinated;
  • Pros and cons of vaccine types;
  • Personalized use of vaccines according to patient profiles.

This Special Issue aims both to provide an overview of vaccines’ mechanisms of action, clinical response, and safety and address clinical questions concerning personalized management of vaccination. Particular attention will be focused on public health approach, vaccination choices, safety, effectiveness, adherence, and vaccine distribution.

We welcome the submission of reviews, short communications, and original research papers targeting any of these topics.

Prof. Dr. Panayiotis G. Vlachoyiannopoulos
Dr. Paraskevi Katsaounou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • effectiveness
  • safety
  • variants
  • clinical response
  • policy
  • pharmacovigilance

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 950 KiB  
Article
Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients: A Comparison between Complete mRNA Vaccination Profile and Natural Immunity
by Iosif Marincu, Cosmin Citu, Felix Bratosin, Iulia Bogdan, Madalina Timircan, Camelia Vidita Gurban, Adrian Vasile Bota, Laurentiu Braescu and Mirela Loredana Grigoras
J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(2), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12020259 - 10 Feb 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2464
Abstract
Although laboratory data show that antibody responses to COVID-19 immunization give superior neutralization of certain circulating variations to spontaneous infection, few real-world epidemiological studies demonstrate the advantage of vaccination for previously infected individuals. This paper summarizes the outcomes of a case–control study conducted [...] Read more.
Although laboratory data show that antibody responses to COVID-19 immunization give superior neutralization of certain circulating variations to spontaneous infection, few real-world epidemiological studies demonstrate the advantage of vaccination for previously infected individuals. This paper summarizes the outcomes of a case–control study conducted in Romania between March 2020 and October 2021 on patients previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. A case–control study was implemented after identification of 62 breakthrough cases. These cases were matched by age and gender to a 1:1 ratio with a control group of unvaccinated patients with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection status. There were no significant differences in the severity of cases and mortality between the study groups. However, unvaccinated patients had a shorter protection from natural immunity than patients with full vaccination status (58 days versus 89 days). The unvaccinated cases with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection were also statistically more likely to have a longer hospital admission duration (12.4 days versus 9.8 days), and required more non-invasive oxygen supplementation during their stay than breakthrough cases (37.1% versus 19.4%). Individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection who were not vaccinated are not at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection or mortality compared to those who were completely vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty® Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 and acquired a breakthrough infection within 2–3 months of the previous infection with a Beta or Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant. Although our findings are consistent with natural immunity offering similar short-term protection to a second dose of mRNA vaccine, all eligible individuals should be provided with immunization to lower their risk of infection, even if they have already been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Full article
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17 pages, 1699 KiB  
Article
Neutralization Assessments Reveal High Cardiothoracic Ratio and Old Age as Independent Predictors of Low Neutralizing Antibody Titers in Hemodialysis Patients Receiving a Single Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
by Chun-Yu Chen, Kuan-Ting Liu, Shin-Ru Shih, Jung-Jr Ye, Yih-Ting Chen, Heng-Chih Pan, Heng-Jung Hsu, Chiao-Yin Sun, Chin-Chan Lee, Chun-Ying Wu, Chi-Chun Lai and I-Wen Wu
J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(1), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12010068 - 7 Jan 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2178
Abstract
Background: Data are lacking regarding predictors of quantification of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) based on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 50% neutralization titer (NT50) after a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods: This prospective single-center study [...] Read more.
Background: Data are lacking regarding predictors of quantification of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) based on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 50% neutralization titer (NT50) after a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods: This prospective single-center study enrolled 200 HD patients and 82 healthy subjects to estimate antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein 1 and receptor-binding domain after a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (ChAdOx1 or mRNA-1273), measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and applied spline-based generalized additive model regression analysis to predict NT50 converted to international units. Results: After the first dose of ChAdOx1, multiple linear regression showed that age (p = 0.011) and cardiothoracic ratio (p = 0.002) were negatively associated with NT50. Older age (OR = 0.958, p = 0.052) and higher cardiothoracic ratio (OR < 0.001, p = 0.037) could predict negative humoral response (NT50 < 35.13 IU/mL). NT50 was lower in HD patients compared with healthy controls receiving ChAdOx1 (10.68 vs. 43.01 IU/m, p < 0.001) or mRNA-1273 (36.39 vs. 262.2 IU/mL, p < 0.001). ChAdOx1 elicited lower GMTs than mRNA-1273 in the HD cohort (10.68 vs. 36.39 IU/mL, p < 0.001) and in healthy controls (43.01 vs. 262.22 IU/mL, p < 0.001). Conclusion: High cardiothoracic ratio and old age could independently predict a decline in nAb titers in an HD cohort vaccinated with a single dose of ChAdOx1. Full article
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9 pages, 256 KiB  
Article
Social Response to the Vaccine against COVID-19: The Underrated Power of Influence
by Dimitra S. Mouliou, Ioannis Pantazopoulos and Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis
J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12010015 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2693
Abstract
Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the need for preventive medicine and vaccinology to be paralleled to eliminate COVID-19 cases. Methods: A web-based questionnaire was disseminated through social media in the late November assessing the factors that may have influenced [...] Read more.
Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the need for preventive medicine and vaccinology to be paralleled to eliminate COVID-19 cases. Methods: A web-based questionnaire was disseminated through social media in the late November assessing the factors that may have influenced the final response to vaccination against COVID-19 in vaccinated and non-vaccinated Greek people. Results: Women, the younger generations, and university graduates were more likely to accept vaccination, whereas men, those with a basic education level, and the older generation showed a hesitance to the vaccine against COVID-19. About half of the vaccinated participants were influenced in their final decision mainly by being informed from the internet (50.4%), their work (51.7%), and social life (53,1%) while half of the non-vaccinated individuals were mostly influenced by keeping updated from the internet (55.5%) and by government policies (51.3%). COVID-19 risk (OR 2.511; CI 2.149–2.934; p = 0.000), frequent vaccinations for emerging pathogens (OR 14.022; CI 11.998-16.389), and social life (OR 2.828; CI 2.417–3.309; p = 0.000) had a significant impact on people’s positive response to vaccination against COVID-19. Conclusions: Monitoring and assessing the influence factors for the response to vaccination can be favourable strategies to further manage societal vaccination rates. Full article
10 pages, 828 KiB  
Article
COVID-19 Vaccine Does Not Increase the Risk of Disease Flare-Ups among Patients with Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases
by Larisa Pinte, Florentina Negoi, Georgeta Daniela Ionescu, Simona Caraiola, Daniel Vasile Balaban, Camelia Badea, Diana Mazilu, Bianca Dumitrescu, Bogdan Mateescu, Ruxandra Ionescu, Magda Ileana Parvu and Cristian Baicus
J. Pers. Med. 2021, 11(12), 1283; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11121283 - 2 Dec 2021
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4264
Abstract
Background: Reports describing post-vaccine autoimmune phenomena, in previously healthy individuals, increased the concerns regarding the risk of disease flare-ups in patients with immune diseases. We aimed to assess the potential risk of disease flare-up, after receiving the COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine, during [...] Read more.
Background: Reports describing post-vaccine autoimmune phenomena, in previously healthy individuals, increased the concerns regarding the risk of disease flare-ups in patients with immune diseases. We aimed to assess the potential risk of disease flare-up, after receiving the COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine, during a follow-up period of 6 months. Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study, enrolling the patients with autoimmune- and immune-mediated diseases who voluntarily completed our questionnaire, both online and during hospital evaluations. Based on their decision to receive the vaccine, the patients were divided into two groups (vaccinated and non-vaccinated). Participants who chose not to receive the vaccine served as a control group in terms of flare-ups. Results: A total of 623 patients, 416 vaccinated and 207 non-vaccinated, were included in the study during hospital evaluations (222/623) and after online (401/623) enrolment. There was no difference concerning the risk of flare-up between vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients (1.16, versus 1.72 flare-ups/100 patients-months, p = 0.245). The flare-ups were associated with having more than one immune disease, and with a previous flare-up during the past year. Conclusions: We did not find an increased risk of flare-up following COVID-19 vaccination in patients with autoimmune-/immune-mediated diseases, after a median follow-up of 5.9 months. According to our results, there should not be an obvious reason for vaccine hesitancy among this category of patients. Full article
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Review

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14 pages, 292 KiB  
Review
Hematological Questions in Personalized Management of COVID-19 Vaccination
by Tingting Wu, Junying Li, Yu Hu and Liang V. Tang
J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(2), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13020259 - 30 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1650
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been causing a worldwide pandemic since 2019. Many vaccines have been manufactured and have shown promising results in reducing disease morbidity and mortality. However, a variety of vaccine-related adverse [...] Read more.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been causing a worldwide pandemic since 2019. Many vaccines have been manufactured and have shown promising results in reducing disease morbidity and mortality. However, a variety of vaccine-related adverse effects, including hematological events, have been reported, such as thromboembolic events, thrombocytopenia, and bleeding. Moreover, a new syndrome, vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, following vaccination against COVID-19 has been recognized. These hematologic side effects have also raised concerns about SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with preexisting hematologic conditions. Patients with hematological tumors are at a higher risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the efficacy and safety of vaccination in this group remain uncertain and have raised attention. In this review, we discuss the hematological events following COVID-19 vaccination and vaccination in patients with hematological disorders. Full article
16 pages, 621 KiB  
Review
Nature of Acquired Immune Responses, Epitope Specificity and Resultant Protection from SARS-CoV-2
by Reginald M. Gorczynski, Robyn A. Lindley, Edward J. Steele and Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe
J. Pers. Med. 2021, 11(12), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11121253 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2899
Abstract
The primary global response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been to bring to the clinic as rapidly as possible a number of vaccines that are predicted to enhance immunity to this viral infection. While the rapidity with which these vaccines have been developed [...] Read more.
The primary global response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been to bring to the clinic as rapidly as possible a number of vaccines that are predicted to enhance immunity to this viral infection. While the rapidity with which these vaccines have been developed and tested (at least for short-term efficacy and safety) is commendable, it should be acknowledged that this has occurred despite the lack of research into, and understanding of, the immune elements important for natural host protection against the virus, making this endeavor a somewhat unique one in medical history. In contrast, as pointed out in the review below, there were already important past observations that suggested that respiratory infections at mucosal surfaces were susceptible to immune clearance by mechanisms not typical of infections caused by systemic (blood-borne) pathogens. Accordingly, it was likely to be important to understand the role for both innate and acquired immunity in response to viral infection, as well as the optimum acquired immune resistance mechanisms for viral clearance (B cell or antibody-mediated, versus T cell mediated). This information was needed both to guide vaccine development and to monitor its success. We have known that many pathogens enter into a quasi-symbiotic relationship with the host, with each undergoing sequential change in response to alterations the other makes to its presence. The subsequent evolution of viral variants which has caused such widespread concern over the last 3–6 months as host immunity develops was an entirely predictable response. What is still not known is whether there will be other unexpected side-effects of the deployment of novel vaccines in humans which have yet to be characterized, and, if so, how and if these can be avoided. We conclude by remarking that to ignore a substantial body of well-attested immunological research in favour of expediency is a poor way to proceed. Full article
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Other

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7 pages, 893 KiB  
Case Report
Unilateral Pleural Effusion after Third Dose of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination: Case Report
by Nikolaos K. Athanasiou, Archontoula Antonoglou, Marios Ioannou, Edison Jahaj and Paraskevi Katsaounou
J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(3), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13030391 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2533
Abstract
Vaccination remains the best strategy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in terms of prevention. The efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines is supported by well-designed clinical trials that recruited many participants. It is well-known that vaccination is associated with local side effects related [...] Read more.
Vaccination remains the best strategy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in terms of prevention. The efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines is supported by well-designed clinical trials that recruited many participants. It is well-known that vaccination is associated with local side effects related to the injection site, and mild, systemic side effects. However, there has been an increase in the occurrence of what is known as infrequent adverse effects in the population of vaccinated individuals in real life. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman with no past medical history, who presented with a sharp chest pain with deep inspiration, a few days after receiving the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2). There is an association between the BNT16b2 vaccination and myocarditis, pericarditis, and even bilateral pleural effusions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report featuring a unilateral pleural effusion in a patient with no known past medical history, who did not develop cardiac involvement nor have any viral infection. The aim of our report is to inform health professionals of the possibility of encountering this rare adverse event in their daily practice, as the population of individuals who are receiving additional vaccine doses is increasing steadily. Full article
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