Vaccines (Nov 2024)
Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among European Healthcare Workers and Effectiveness of the First Booster COVID-19 Vaccine, VEBIS HCW Observational Cohort Study, May 2021–May 2023
- Camelia Savulescu,
- Albert Prats-Uribe,
- Kim Brolin,
- Zvjezdana Lovrić Makarić,
- Anneli Uusküla,
- Georgios Panagiotakopoulos,
- Colm Bergin,
- Catherine Fleming,
- Antonella Agodi,
- Paolo Bonfanti,
- Rita Murri,
- Viesturs Zvirbulis,
- Dace Zavadska,
- Konstanty Szuldrzynski,
- Ausenda Machado,
- Corneliu Petru Popescu,
- Mihai Craiu,
- Maria Cisneros,
- Miriam Latorre-Millán,
- Goranka Petrović,
- Liis Lohur,
- Kyriaki Tryfinopoulou,
- Jonathan McGrath,
- Lauren Ferguson,
- Martina Barchitta,
- Anna Spolti,
- Katleen de Gaetano Donati,
- Ilze Abolina,
- Dagne Gravele,
- Vânia Gaio,
- Simin Aysel Florescu,
- Mihaela Lazar,
- Pilar Subirats,
- Laura Clusa Cuesta,
- Gordan Sarajlić,
- Marina Amerali,
- Jacklyn Sui,
- Claire Kenny,
- Venerando Rapisarda,
- Marianna Rossi,
- Silvia Lamonica,
- Dainis Krievins,
- Elza Anna Barzdina,
- Ana Palmira Amaral,
- Alma Gabriela Kosa,
- Victor Daniel Miron,
- Carmen Muñoz-Almagro,
- Ana María Milagro,
- Sabrina Bacci,
- Piotr Kramarz,
- Anthony Nardone,
- the VEBIS HCW VE Study Group
Affiliations
- Camelia Savulescu
- Epiconcept, 75011 Paris, France
- Albert Prats-Uribe
- Epiconcept, 75011 Paris, France
- Kim Brolin
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 169 73 Solna, Sweden
- Zvjezdana Lovrić Makarić
- Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Anneli Uusküla
- Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of Tartu, 50090 Tartu, Estonia
- Georgios Panagiotakopoulos
- National Public Health Organization (EODY), EL-15123 Athens, Greece
- Colm Bergin
- Department of Genitourinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDe), St. James’s Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland
- Catherine Fleming
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Galway, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
- Antonella Agodi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
- Paolo Bonfanti
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza—University of Milano, Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
- Rita Murri
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Viesturs Zvirbulis
- Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, 1002 Riga, Latvia
- Dace Zavadska
- Children Clinical University Hospital, 1004 Riga, Latvia
- Konstanty Szuldrzynski
- National Institute of Medicine of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
- Ausenda Machado
- Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
- Corneliu Petru Popescu
- Victor Babes Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, 030303 Bucharest, Romania
- Mihai Craiu
- Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
- Maria Cisneros
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Miriam Latorre-Millán
- Research Group on Difficult to Diagnose and Treat Infections, IIS Aragon, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Goranka Petrović
- Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Liis Lohur
- Outpatient Department, Viljandi Hospital, 71024 Viljandi, Estonia
- Kyriaki Tryfinopoulou
- National Public Health Organization (EODY), EL-15123 Athens, Greece
- Jonathan McGrath
- Department of Genitourinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDe), St. James’s Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland
- Lauren Ferguson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Galway, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
- Martina Barchitta
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
- Anna Spolti
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza—University of Milano, Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
- Katleen de Gaetano Donati
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Ilze Abolina
- Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, 1002 Riga, Latvia
- Dagne Gravele
- Children Clinical University Hospital, 1004 Riga, Latvia
- Vânia Gaio
- Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
- Simin Aysel Florescu
- Victor Babes Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, 030303 Bucharest, Romania
- Mihaela Lazar
- Cantacuzino National Military-Medical Institute for Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania
- Pilar Subirats
- Department of Occupational Risk Prevention, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Laura Clusa Cuesta
- Research Group on Difficult to Diagnose and Treat Infections, IIS Aragon, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Gordan Sarajlić
- Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Marina Amerali
- National Public Health Organization (EODY), EL-15123 Athens, Greece
- Jacklyn Sui
- Department of Genitourinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDe), St. James’s Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland
- Claire Kenny
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Galway, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
- Venerando Rapisarda
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico AOUP “G. Rodolico-San Marco”, 95124 Catania, Italy
- Marianna Rossi
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza—University of Milano, Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
- Silvia Lamonica
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Dainis Krievins
- Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, 1002 Riga, Latvia
- Elza Anna Barzdina
- Children Clinical University Hospital, 1004 Riga, Latvia
- Ana Palmira Amaral
- Centro Hospitalar Tondela-Viseu EPE, 3504-509 Viseu, Portugal
- Alma Gabriela Kosa
- Victor Babes Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, 030303 Bucharest, Romania
- Victor Daniel Miron
- Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
- Carmen Muñoz-Almagro
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Ana María Milagro
- Research Group on Difficult to Diagnose and Treat Infections, IIS Aragon, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Sabrina Bacci
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 169 73 Solna, Sweden
- Piotr Kramarz
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 169 73 Solna, Sweden
- Anthony Nardone
- Epiconcept, 75011 Paris, France
- the VEBIS HCW VE Study Group
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12111295
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 12,
no. 11
p. 1295
Abstract
Background: European countries have included healthcare workers (HCWs) among priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination. We established a multi-country hospital network to measure the SARS-CoV-2 incidence and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: HCWs from 19 hospitals in 10 countries participated in a dynamic prospective cohort study, providing samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing at enrolment and during weekly/fortnightly follow-up. We measured the incidence during pre-Delta (2 May–6 September 2021), Delta (7 September–14 December 2021), and Omicron (15 December 2021–2 May 2023) waves. Using Cox regression, we measured the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of the first COVID-19 booster dose versus primary course alone during Delta and Omicron waves. Results: We included a total of 3015 HCWs. Participants were mostly female (2306; 79%), with a clinical role (2047; 68%), and had a median age of 44 years. The overall incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 3.01/10,000 person-days during pre-Delta, 4.21/10,000 during Delta, and 23.20/10,000 during Omicron waves. rVE was 59% (95% CI: −25; 86) during Delta and 22% (1; 39) during Omicron waves. rVE was 51% (30; 65) 7–90 days after the first booster dose during the Omicron wave. Conclusions: The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs was higher during the Omicron circulation period. The first COVID-19 vaccine booster provided additional protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to primary course vaccination when recently vaccinated <90 days. This multi-country HCW cohort study addressing infection as the main outcome is crucial for informing public health interventions for HCWs.
Keywords
