Abstract

BACKGROUND
The duration and effectiveness of immunity from infection with and vaccination
against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are relevant to pandemic policy interventions, including the timing of vaccine boosters.


METHODS
We investigated the duration and effectiveness of immunity in a prospective cohort of asymptomatic health care workers in the United Kingdom who underwent routine polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) testing. Vaccine effectiveness (≤10 months after the first dose of vaccine) and infection-acquired immunity were assessed by comparing the time to PCR-confirmed infection in vaccinated persons with that in unvaccinated persons, stratified according to previous infection status. We used a Cox regression model with adjustment for previous SARS-CoV-2 infection status, vaccine type and dosing interval, demographic characteristics, and workplace exposure to SARS-CoV-2.


RESULTS
Of 35,768 participants, 27% (9488) had a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Vaccine coverage was high: 97% of the participants had received two doses (78% had received BNT162b2 vaccine [Pfizer–BioNTech] with a long interval between doses, 9% BNT162b2 vaccine with a short interval between doses, and 8% ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine [AstraZeneca]). Between December 7, 2020, and September 21, 2021, a total of 2747 primary infections and 210 reinfections were observed. Among previously uninfected participants who received long-interval BNT162b2 vaccine, adjusted vaccine effectiveness decreased from 85% (95% confidence interval [CI], 72 to 92) 14 to 73 days after the second dose to 51% (95% CI, 22 to 69) at a median of 201 days (interquartile range, 197 to 205) after the second dose; this effectiveness did not differ significantly between the long-interval and short-interval BNT162b2 vaccine recipients. At 14 to 73 days after the second dose, adjusted vaccine effectiveness among ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine recipients was 58% (95% CI, 23 to 77) — considerably lower than that among BNT162b2 vaccine recipients. Infection-acquired immunity waned after 1 year in unvaccinated participants but remained consistently higher than 90% in those who were subsequently vaccinated, even in persons infected more than 18 months previously.


CONCLUSIONS
Two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine were associated with high short-term protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection; this protection waned considerably after 6 months. Infection-acquired immunity boosted with vaccination remained high more than 1 year after infection. (Funded by the U.K. Health Security Agency and others; ISRCTN Registry number, ISRCTN11041050.)

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Cite as

Hall, V., Foulkes, S., Insalata, F., Kirwan, P., Saei, A., Atti, A., Wellington, E., Khawam, J., Munro, K., Cole, M., Tranquillini, C., Taylor-Kerr, A., Hettiarachchi, N., Calbraith, D., Sajedi, N., Milligan, I., Themistocleous, Y., Corrigan, D., Cromey, L., Price, L., Stewart, S., De Lacy, E., Norman, C., Linley, E., Otter, A., Semper, A., Hewson, J., D'Arcangelo, S., Chand, M., Brown, C., Brooks, T., Islam, J., Charlett, A., Hopkins, S. & SIREN Study Group 2022, 'Protection against SARS-CoV-2 after Covid-19 vaccination and previous infection', New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2118691

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Last updated: 19 August 2023
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