Scientific Reports (Jan 2022)

The incidence of COVID-19 infection following emergency use authorization of BBIBP-CORV inactivated vaccine in frontline workers in the United Arab Emirates

  • Nawal Al Kaabi,
  • Abderrahim Oulhaj,
  • Farida Ismail Al Hosani,
  • Shamma Al Mazrouei,
  • Omer Najim,
  • Salah Eldin Hussein,
  • Jehad Saleh Abdalla,
  • Mohammed Saifuddin Fasihuddin,
  • Afnan Abdellatif Hassan,
  • Gehad Elghazali,
  • Ahmed Al Rumaithi,
  • Jumana Al Azazi,
  • Stefan Weber,
  • Rami Beiram,
  • Khatija A. Parekh,
  • Mohamud Sheek-Hussein,
  • Yunkai Yang,
  • Yang Xiaoming,
  • Jenny Quliang,
  • Islam Eltantawy,
  • Sally Mahmoud,
  • Ashish Koshy,
  • Peng Xiao,
  • Subhashini Ganesan,
  • Wael Elamin,
  • Walid Zaher

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04244-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract Based on the findings from the Phase III clinical trials of inactivated SARS COV-2 Vaccine, (BBIBP-CORV) emergency use authorization (EUA) was granted for the vaccine to frontline workers in the UAE. A prospective cohort study was conducted among frontline workers to estimate the incidence rate and risk of symptomatic COVID-19 infection 14 days after the second dose of inoculation with BBIBP-CORV inactivated vaccine. Those who received two doses of the BBIBP-CORV vaccine in the period from 14th of September 2020 (first dose) to 21st of December 2020 (second dose) were followed up for COVID-19 infections. 11,322 individuals who received the two-dose BBIBP-CORV vaccine were included and were followed up post the second dose plus fourteen days. The incidence rate of symptomatic infection was 0.08 per 1000-person days (95% CI 0.07, 0.10). The estimated absolute risk of developing symptomatic infection was 0.97% (95% CI 0.77%, 1.17%). The confirmed seroconversion rate was 92.8%. There were no serious adverse events reported and no individuals suffered from severe disease. Our findings show that vaccinated individuals are likely to remain protected against symptomatic infection or becoming PCR positive for SARS COV 2 following the second dose of the vaccination.