Lack of evidence for vaccine-associated enhanced disease from COVID-19 vaccines among adults in the Vaccine Safety Datalink Journal Article uri icon
Overview
abstract
  • PURPOSE: Vaccine-associated enhanced disease (VAED) is a theoretical concern with new vaccines, although trials of authorized vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have not identified markers for VAED. The purpose of this study was to detect any signals for VAED among adults vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed COVID-19 severity as a proxy for VAED among 400 adults hospitalized for COVID-19 from March through October 2021 at eight US healthcare systems. Primary outcomes were admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and severe illness (score ≥ 6 on the World Health Organization [WHO] Clinical Progression Scale). We compared the risk of outcomes among those who had completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series versus those who were unvaccinated. We incorporated inverse propensity weights for vaccination status in a doubly robust regression model to estimate the causal average treatment effect. RESULTS: The causal risk ratio in vaccinated versus unvaccinated was 0.36 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15-0.94) for ICU admission and 0.46 (95% CI, 0.25-0.76) for severe illness. CONCLUSION: Among hospitalized patients, reduced disease severity in those vaccinated against COVID-19 supports the absence of VAED.

  • Link to Article
    publication date
  • 2024
  • published in
    Research
    keywords
  • Adverse Effects
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Coronavirus Infections
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Hospitalization
  • Prevention
  • Vaccination
  • Additional Document Info
    volume
  • 33
  • issue
  • 8