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Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19

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A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 22819

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sara C. Johnston

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Guest Editor

Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Ft. Detrick, MD, USA
Interests: virology; vaccines; therapeutics; animal model development; efficacy evaluations in animal models

Dr. Nusrat Homaira

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Guest Editor

1. Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Women’s and Children’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
2. Respiratory Department, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney 2031, Australia
Interests: infectious diseases; childhood respiratory conditions; epidemiology; public health and health service

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus has been responsible for millions of deaths worldwide due to an ongoing pandemic, and accelerated production and deployment of medical countermeasures to combat the virus has been a priority. Although vaccination strategies do exist, continued work is critical to refine approaches to optimize the magnitude and duration of the immune response while reducing the prevalence adverse reactions.

For this Special Issue, all papers, reviews, and methodologies examining current and novel vaccines and vaccination strategies are welcome, including (but not limited to) in vitro studies, immunogenicity studies in humans or animals, and efficacy studies in humans or animal models of COVID-19.

Dr. Sara C. Johnston
Dr. Nusrat Homaira
Guest Editors

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

SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
vaccine
vaccination
efficacy
immunity
animal models
methodology

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies among Vaccinated and Non-Vaccinated Adults in the West Bank: Results of a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

by Faisal Awartani, Nouar Mohammad Qutob and Mohammad Rajab Asia

Vaccines 2022, 10(8), 1332; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10081332 - 17 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1657

Abstract

Seroprevalence studies provide an accurate measure of SARS-CoV-2 spread at a population level and the number of undiagnosed individuals. Repeated cross-sectional sero-studies are encouraged to monitor the spread of the virus. The aim of this study is to assess the seroprevalence rate among a random sample of Palestinians residing in the West Bank region of Palestine, especially among those who were not vaccinated and not diagnosed. The study was able to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic cases among the Palestinian adult population. The study also focused on measuring the percentage of adult Palestinians who accepted to get vaccinated across gender and age groups. Methods: This second round cross-sectional study involved 1451 participants, who agreed to be interviewed and answer the questionnaire, where 910 of them agreed to participate in the sero-study and donate a blood sample to be tested for antibodies. The sample was randomly selected from the adult population, 18 years or older, living in the West Bank region of Palestine. Serological tests for 910 adequate serum samples were performed using immunoassays for the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Sociodemographic information and medical history data were collected. Results: Study findings indicate that as of October 2021, there was a seroprevalence rate of 75.9% (30% due to infection with COVID-19 virus and 45.9% due to vaccination) with 95% CI (73.1–78.7). The results indicate that the prevalence of antibodies among those who are unvaccinated and undiagnosed was 45.2% with 95% CI (39.9–50.5%). The average age of participants was 37.6 years old. A total of 49.2% were females, and 50.8% were males. In relation to COVID-19, 13.6% of respondents reported getting infected by COVID-19 with statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.001) between males (10.7%) and females (16.5%). In terms of vaccination, 52.8% of respondents reported getting vaccinated with an important difference between males (64.3%) and females (40.9%), (p-value < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings reveal a drastic rise in seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies due to infection and vaccination. This information is useful for assessing the degree of herd immunity among the adult population and provides better understanding of the pandemic. Population-based seroprevalence studies should be conducted periodically to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Palestine and inform policy makers about the efficacy of the surveillance system and the public compliance with vaccination policies especially among females. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19)

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25 pages, 6464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A SARS-CoV-2 Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle Vaccine Is Protective and Promotes a Strong Immunological Response in the Cynomolgus Macaque Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Model

by Sara C. Johnston, Keersten M. Ricks, Ines Lakhal-Naouar, Alexandra Jay, Caroline Subra, Jo Lynne Raymond, Hannah A. D. King, Franco Rossi, Tamara L. Clements, David Fetterer, Samantha Tostenson, Camila Macedo Cincotta, Holly R. Hack, Caitlin Kuklis, Sandrine Soman, Jocelyn King, Kristina K. Peachman, Dohoon Kim, Wei-Hung Chen, Rajeshwer S. Sankhala, Elizabeth J. Martinez, Agnes Hajduczki, William C. Chang, Misook Choe, Paul V. Thomas, Caroline E. Peterson, Alexander Anderson, Isabella Swafford, Jeffrey R. Currier, Dominic Paquin-Proulx, Linda L. Jagodzinski, Gary R. Matyas, Mangala Rao, Gregory D. Gromowski, Sheila A. Peel, Lauren White, Jeffrey M. Smith, Jay W. Hooper, Nelson L. Michael, Kayvon Modjarrad, M. Gordon Joyce, Aysegul Nalca, Diane L. Bolton and Margaret L. M. Pitt Show full author list Hide full author list

Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 717; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10050717 - 04 May 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4142

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a staggering impact on social, economic, and public health systems worldwide. Vaccine development and mobilization against SARS-CoV-2 (the etiologic agent of COVID-19) has been rapid. However, novel strategies are still necessary to slow the pandemic, and this includes new approaches to vaccine development and/or delivery that will improve vaccination compliance and demonstrate efficacy against emerging variants. Here, we report on the immunogenicity and efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine comprising stabilized, pre-fusion spike protein trimers displayed on a ferritin nanoparticle (SpFN) adjuvanted with either conventional aluminum hydroxide or the Army Liposomal Formulation QS-21 (ALFQ) in a cynomolgus macaque COVID-19 model. Vaccination resulted in robust cell-mediated and humoral responses and a significant reduction in lung lesions following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The strength of the immune response suggests that dose sparing through reduced or single dosing in primates may be possible with this vaccine. Overall, the data support further evaluation of SpFN as a SARS-CoV-2 protein-based vaccine candidate with attention to fractional dosing and schedule optimization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19)

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13 pages, 465 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Heterologous Vaccination Strategy on Humoral Response against COVID-19 with CoronaVac plus BNT162b2: A Prospective Cohort Study

by Hakan Demirhindi, Burak Mete, Ferdi Tanir, Ertan Kara, Filiz Kibar, Salih Cetiner, Aslihan Candevir and Sukriye Ece Akti

Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 687; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10050687 - 28 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2944

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the mixed and homogeneous application of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine CoronaVac (CV) and the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (BNT). This prospective cohort study included 235 health care workers who had received two prime shots with CoronaVac. They were divided into three cohorts after the third month: Cohort-I (CV/CV); Cohort-II (CV/CV/CV); and Cohort-III (CV/CV/BNT). Anti-S-RBD-IgG and total anti-spike/anti-nucleocapsid-IgG antibody concentrations were examined in vaccinated health workers at the 1st, 3rd, and 6th months following the second dose of the vaccination. The mean age of 235 health care workers who participated in the project was 39.51 ± 10.39 (min-max: 22–64). At the end of the 6th month, no antibodies were detected in 16.7% of Cohort-I participants, and anti-S-RDB IgG levels showed a decrease of 60% compared to the levels of the 3rd month. The antibody concentrations of the 6th month were found to have increased by an average of 5.13 times compared to the 3rd-month levels in Cohort-II and 20.4 times in Cohort-III. The heterologous vaccination strategy “CoronaVac and BNT162b2 regimen” is able to induce a stronger humoral immune response and it will help remove inequalities in the developing world where CoronaVac was the initial prime. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19)

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14 pages, 3521 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Homologous COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination at a German Tertiary Care University Hospital: A Survey-Based Analysis of Reactogenicity, Safety, and Inability to Work among Healthcare Workers

by Valentin Niekrens, Jan Esse, Jürgen Held, Carina Sophia Knobloch, Philipp Steininger, Bernd Kunz, Christof Seggewies and Christian Bogdan

Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10050650 - 20 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2364

Abstract

At the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, healthcare workers had an increased risk of acquiring coronavirus disease (COVID)-19. As tertiary care hospitals are critical for the treatment of severely ill patients, the University Hospital Erlangen offered BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination against COVID-19 to all employees when the vaccine became available in Germany. Here, we performed a survey to assess the age- and sex-dependent reactogenicity and safety of BNT162b2 in a real-life setting with a special emphasis on the rate of vaccine-related incapacity to work amongst the employees. All vaccinated employees were invited to participate in the survey and received access to an electronic questionnaire between 31 March and 14 June 2021, which allowed them to report local and systemic adverse effects after the first or second vaccine dose. A total of 2372 employees completed the survey. After both the first and second dose, women had a higher risk than men for vaccine-related systemic side effects (odds ratio (OR) 1.48 (1.24–1.77) and 1.49 (1.23–1.81), respectively) and for inability to work (OR 1.63 (1.14–2.34) and 1.85 (1.52–2.25), respectively). Compared to employees ≥ 56 years of age, younger vaccinated participants had a higher risk of systemic reactions after the first (OR 1.35 (1.07–1.70)) and second vaccination (OR 2.08 (1.64–2.63)) and were more often unable to work after dose 2 (OR 2.20 (1.67–2.88)). We also recorded four anaphylactic reactions and received two reports of severe adverse effects indicative of vaccine complications. After the first and second vaccination, 7.9% and 34.7% of the survey participants, respectively, were temporarily unable to work, which added up to 1700 days of sick leave in this cohort. These real-life data extend previous results on the reactogenicity and safety of BNT162b2. Loss of working time due to vaccine-related adverse effects was substantial, but was outweighed by the potential benefit of prevented cases of COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19)

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12 pages, 1623 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Antibody and T Cell Responses against SARS-CoV-2 Elicited by the Third Dose of BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) Vaccines Using a Homologous or Heterologous Booster Vaccination Strategy

by Zsolt Matula, Márton Gönczi, Gabriella Bekő, Béla Kádár, Éva Ajzner, Ferenc Uher and István Vályi-Nagy

Vaccines 2022, 10(4), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10040539 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3352

Abstract

In the present study, antibody and T cell-mediated immune responses elicited by BBIBP-CorV and BNT162b2 vaccines were compared 6 months after the two-dose immunization of healthy individuals. Additionally, antibody and T cell responses after the third dose of BBIBP-CorV or BNT162b2 were compared using a homologous or heterologous vaccination strategy. The third dose was consistently administered 6 months after the second dose. Six months following the two-dose vaccination, the cumulative IFNγ-positive T cell response was almost identical in participants immunized with either two doses of BNT162b2 or BBIBP-CorV vaccines; however, significant differences were revealed regarding humoral immunity: the two-dose BNT162b2 vaccine maintained a significantly higher antireceptor-binding domain (RBD) IgG, anti-spike (S1/S2) IgG, and IgA antibody levels. The BNT162b2 + BNT162b2 + BBIBP-CorV vaccine series elicited significantly lower anti-RBD IgG and anti-S1/S2 IgG levels than three doses of BNT162b2, while the anti-S IgA level was equally negligible in both groups. Importantly, the cumulative IFNγ-positive T cell response was highly similar in both groups. Surprisingly, the BBIBP-CorV + BBIBP-CorV + BNT162b2 vaccination series provided a much higher cumulative IFNγ-positive T cell response than that elicited by three doses of BNT162b2; moreover, the levels of anti-RBD IgG and anti-S IgA were almost identical. Only the mean anti-S1/S2 IgG levels were higher after receiving three mRNA vaccines. Based on these data, we can conclude that administering a third dose of BNT162b2 after two doses of BBIBP-CorV is an effective strategy to significantly enhance both humoral and T cell-mediated immune response, and its effectiveness is comparable to that of three BNT162b2 vaccines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19)

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13 pages, 8110 KiB

Open AccessArticle

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Adolescents: Cross-Sectional School Survey in Four Chinese Cities Prior to Vaccine Availability

by Palizhati Rehati, Nubiya Amaerjiang, Liping Yang, Huidi Xiao, Menglong Li, Jiawulan Zunong, Long Wang, Sten H. Vermund and Yifei Hu

Vaccines 2022, 10(3), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10030452 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4016

Abstract

To address the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, development and regulatory evaluations have been accelerated for vaccines, authorizing emergency use. To anticipate vaccine preparedness in adolescents, we studied COVID-19 vaccination awareness and willingness to vaccinate before the vaccine became available. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 9153 (4575 boys, 50%) students with a mean age of 14.2 years old in four cities in China to collect information on demographic characteristics and their COVID-19 vaccination concerns. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of vaccine hesitancy (“not sure”) and resistance (“do not want it”). The results showed that 2891 (31.6%) were hesitant and 765 (8.4%) were resistant to being vaccinated. Additionally, multivariable analyses showed that vaccine hesitancy and vaccine resistance were associated with living in the Beijing area (OR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.40–1.88; OR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.44–2.28), lack of influenza vaccination experience (OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.14–1.55; OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.25–1.98), no perceived susceptibility (OR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.50–1.97; OR = 3.57; 95% CI: 2.86–4.46), and perceiving no cues to action (OR = 3.24; 95% CI: 2.56–4.11; OR = 27.68; 95% CI: 21.81–35.13). Postulating a highly effective vaccine (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.72–0.98; OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52–0.83) decreased both vaccine hesitancy and resistance. Vaccine hesitancy alone was associated with girls (OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.09–1.36) and was less common among students boarding at school (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.68–0.92), postulating convenient vaccine access (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.73–0.96), and having doctors’ recommendation (OR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.76–0.98). In conclusion, the results of the study showed that vaccine hesitancy among students in China was associated with limited health literacy and lower risk awareness. Our findings in China suggest that educating youth regarding COVID-19 and the safety and effectiveness of immunization help reduce concerns and increase vaccine confidence and acceptance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19)

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9 pages, 584 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intent to Vaccinate SARS-CoV-2 Infected Children in US Households: A Survey

by Mehgan Teherani, Samridhi Banskota, Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, Alison G. C. Smith, Evan J. Anderson, Carol M. Kao, Charles Crepy D’Orleans, Andi L. Shane, Austin Lu and Preeti Jaggi

Vaccines 2021, 9(9), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9091049 - 21 Sep 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2945

Abstract

A paucity of data exists evaluating a guardian’s intent to vaccinate their child against COVID-19 in the United States. We administered 102 first (April–November 2020) and 45 second (December–January 2020–2021) surveys to guardians of children (<18 years) who had a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and assessed their intent to give a COVID-19 vaccine to their child, when one becomes available. The first and second surveys of the same cohort of guardians were conducted before and following the press releases detailing the adult Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Phase 3 results. Both surveys included an intent-to-vaccinate question using the subjective language of “if a safe and effective vaccine” became available, and a second question was added to second surveys using the objective language of “would prevent 19 of 20 people from getting disease”. When using subjective language, 24 of 45 (53%) guardians endorsed vaccine administration for their children in the first survey, which decreased to 21 (46%) in the second survey. When adding objective language, acceptance of vaccination increased to 31 (69%, p = 0.03). Common reasons for declining vaccination were concerns about adverse effects and/or vaccine safety. Providing additional facts on vaccine efficacy increased vaccine acceptance. Evidence-based strategies are needed to increase pediatric COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccination Strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the Causative Agent of COVID-19)

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