COVID-19 vaccines worked fairly well in keeping immunocompromised patients out of the hospital from the infection, but still less than for those with a competent immune system, a study showed.
After two vaccine doses, immunocompromised patients saw 77% vaccine effectiveness (95% CI 74%-80%) against hospitalization for confirmed COVID-19, with a 3.9% rate of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity in hospital compared with 11.8% among those who were unvaccinated.
Effectiveness was similar between Moderna and Pfizer for these patients but did vary by type of immunocompromise, ranging from 59% for solid organ or stem cell transplant recipients to 81% in those with a rheumatologic or inflammatory condition.
For immunocompetent patients in hospital, vaccine effectiveness came in at the expected 90% (95% CI 89%-91%), with 3.8% versus 24.8% positive tests with and without vaccination, respectively, reported Peter J. Embi, MD, of the Regenstrief Institute, a research organization affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, and colleagues in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Their study of some 89,000 hospitalizations for COVID-like illness accounted for age, local virus circulation in patients' community, and other factors.
"Immunocompromised persons benefit from and should receive COVID-19 vaccines," the researchers concluded, saying that their findings of lower effectiveness compared with the immune-competent supported recent CDC recommendations for this high-risk population. ...
ALSO SEE: Immunocompromised people may get less protection from mRNA vaccines: CDC
