Vaccines (May 2022)

Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity of the Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines and Related Factors: A Panel Study from the General Population in Serbia

  • Maja Stosic,
  • Marija Milic,
  • Milos Markovic,
  • Ivana Kelic,
  • Zoran Bukumiric,
  • Marko Veljkovic,
  • Darija Kisic Tepavcevic,
  • Vladan Saponjic,
  • Dragana Plavsa,
  • Sofija Jovanovic,
  • Verica Jovanovic

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060838
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 6
p. 838

Abstract

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The Republic of Serbia applied the booster dose of the following COVID-19 vaccines: BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech), Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV (Vero Cell®), Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) and ChAdOk1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca). We aimed to examine the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of the booster dose and identify factors related to immune response and adverse events. Panel study, conducted during August and September 2021, included 300 persons receiving the booster dose at the Institute of Public Health of Serbia. Blood samples were taken on the day of receiving the booster dose, and after 7 and 28 days. When applying homologous regimen, the average increase in anti-spike immunoglobulin G was 8782.2 (after 7 days), 1213.9 after 28 days, while 9179.5 (after 7 days) and 16,728.1 after 28 days of heterologous regimen. Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV (p p p = 0.001) and currently smoking (p < 0.001) were independently associated with lower levels of anti-spike immunoglobulin G. Female sex (OR = 1.77; 95%CI = 1.01–3.12), previous COVID-19 infection (OR = 3.62; 95%CI = 1.13–11.63) and adverse events after the second dose (OR = 2.66; 95%CI = 1.33–5.32) were independently associated with intense systemic adverse events 7 days after. Booster dose significantly increased antibodies titers, especially 28 days after heterologous regimen, without a significant increase in reactogenicity.

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