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Vaccines
Special Issues
Safety and Immunogenicity of the COVID-19 Vaccine
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Safety and Immunogenicity of the COVID-19 Vaccine

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccine Efficacy and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 3829

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Johad F. Khoury

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8023, USA
Interests: pulmonary infections; interstitial lung diseases; pulmonary fibrosis; COVID-19; pulmonary hypertension

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

COVID-19 vaccines were instant gamechangers when they were introduced in late 2020. Their effect on mortality and severe morbidity and, as a result, on public activities has been tremendous.

On the other hand, some concerns and questions were raised regarding the safety and immunogenicity of these vaccines, both in the general population and in certain risk groups. While data continue to emerge from trials around the world, global policy-making agencies are publishing and updating guidelines and recommendations.

In this Special Issue, we aim to publish the most up-to-date trials regarding the safety of or concerns around COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of the vaccine type or manufacturer, and the immunogenicity that these vaccines provide over time, in the general population as well as in special risk groups.

Dr. Johad F. Khoury
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • immunity
  • immunogenicity
  • vaccine
  • safety

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2674 KiB  
Article
Twenty-Month Monitoring of Humoral Immune Response to BNT162b2 Vaccine: Antibody Kinetics, Breakthrough Infections, and Adverse Effects
by Jaroslaw Walory, Iza Ksiazek, Michal Karynski and Anna Baraniak
Vaccines 2023, 11(10), 1578; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11101578 - 10 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1328
Abstract
Background: Vaccination is one of the most effective life-saving medical interventions, and the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was intended to prevent the serious implications of COVID-19. The objectives of the study were (i) to observe the humoral immune response to the BNT162b2 vaccine [...] Read more.
Background: Vaccination is one of the most effective life-saving medical interventions, and the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was intended to prevent the serious implications of COVID-19. The objectives of the study were (i) to observe the humoral immune response to the BNT162b2 vaccine and SARS-CoV-2 infection (mainly breakthrough infections), (ii) to demonstrate the persistence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies over time in relation to the number of received vaccine doses and the course of infection, and (iii) to determine the adverse effects after primary vaccine doses. Methods: To assess the humoral response, IgG and IgA anti-S1 antibodies were quantified by ELISA assays. In total, the tests were carried out seven times in almost two years. Results: We demonstrated strong immunogenicity (compared to levels before primary vaccination, 150- and 20-fold increases in IgG and IgA, respectively) of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Over time, we observed a systematic decline in antibody levels, which may have contributed to breakthrough infections. Although they caused seroconversion similar to the booster, antibody levels in such patients fell more rapidly than after re-vaccination. On the other hand, in individuals who did not receive booster(s) and who did not present breakthrough infection, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies returned to pre-vaccination levels after 20 months. The most commonly recognized adverse effects were injection site redness and swelling. Conclusion: Vaccination is highly effective in preventing the most severe outcomes of COVID-19 and should be performed regardless of prior infection. Booster doses significantly enhance anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and, in contrast to those obtained by breakthrough infection, they remain longer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety and Immunogenicity of the COVID-19 Vaccine)
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13 pages, 1389 KiB  
Article
Third BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Dose Significantly Enhances Immunogenicity in Recipients of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
by Israel Henig, Jonathan Isenberg, Dana Yehudai-Ofir, Ronit Leiba, Shimrit Ringelstein-Harlev, Ron Ram, Batia Avni, Odelia Amit, Sigal Grisariu, Tehila Azoulay, Ilana Slouzkey and Tsila Zuckerman
Vaccines 2023, 11(4), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11040775 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2136
Abstract
COVID-19-related mortality among hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients in the pre-vaccine era ranged between 22 and 33%. The Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine demonstrated significant immunogenicity and efficacy in the healthy population; however, its long-term effects on allogeneic HSCT recipients remained unclear. Our study [...] Read more.
COVID-19-related mortality among hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients in the pre-vaccine era ranged between 22 and 33%. The Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine demonstrated significant immunogenicity and efficacy in the healthy population; however, its long-term effects on allogeneic HSCT recipients remained unclear. Our study longitudinally evaluated humoral and cellular responses to the BNT162b2 vaccine in adult allogeneic HSCT patients. A positive response was defined as antibody titers ≥ 150 AU/mL post-second vaccination. Among 77 included patients, 51 (66.2%) responded to vaccination. Response-associated factors were female gender, recent anti-CD20 therapy, and a longer interval between transplant and vaccination. Response rates reached 83.7% in patients vaccinated >12 months post-transplant. At 6 months post-second vaccination, antibody titers dropped, but were significantly increased with the booster dose. Moreover, 43% (6/14) of non-responders to the second vaccination acquired sufficient antibody titers after booster administration, resulting in an overall response rate of 79.5% for the entire cohort. The BNT162b2 vaccine was effective in allogeneic transplant recipients. Although antibody titers decreased with time, the third vaccination led to their significant elevation, with 93% of third-dose responders maintaining titers above 150 AU/mL at 3 months post-administration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety and Immunogenicity of the COVID-19 Vaccine)
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