Elsevier

Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Volume 27, Issue 11, November 2021, Pages 1699.e1-1699.e4
Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Research note
SARS-CoV-2 new infections among health-care workers after the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. A hospital-wide cohort study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2021.06.026Get rights and content
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Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the effect of mRNA severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination on the incidence of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in health-care workers (HCW).

Methods

The evolution of the incident rate of microbiologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of 2590 HCW after BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, compared with the rate in the community (n = 170 513) was evaluated by mixed Poisson regression models.

Results

A total of 1820 HCW (70.3% of total) received the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine between 10 January and 16 January 2021, and 296 (11.4%) received it the following week. All of them completed vaccination 3 weeks later. Incidence rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection after the first dose of mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine declined by 71% (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) 0.286, 95% CI 0.174–0.468; p < 0.001) and by 97% (IRR 0.03, 95% CI 0.013–0.068; p < 0.001) after the second dose, compared with the perivaccine time. SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in the community (with a negligible vaccination rate) had a much lower decline: 2% (IRR 0.984, 95% CI 0.943–1.028; p 0.47) and 61% (IRR 0.390, 95% CI 0.375–0.406; p < 0.001) for equivalent periods. Adjusting for the decline in the community, the reduction in the incident rates among HCW were 73% (IRR 0.272, 95% CI 0.164–0.451 p < 0.001) after the first dose of the vaccine and 92% (IRR 0.176, 95% CI 0.033–0.174; p < 0.001) after the second dose.

Conclusions

mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is associated with a dramatic decline in new SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCW, even before the administration of the second dose of the vaccine.

Keywords

Coronavirus
Coronavirus disease 2019
Health-care workers
Incidence
Infection
mRNA vaccine
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Vaccine

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