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. 2022 Mar 29;19(7):4039.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074039.

Evaluation of BNT162b2 Vaccine Effectiveness in Galicia, Northwest Spain

Jacobo Pardo-Seco  1   2   3 , Narmeen Mallah  1   2   3 , Luis Ricardo López-Pérez  4 , Juan Manuel González-Pérez  4 , Benigno Rosón  4 , María Teresa Otero-Barrós  5 , Carmen Durán-Parrondo  5 , Carmen Rodríguez-Tenreiro  1   2   3 , Irene Rivero-Calle  1   2   3   6 , Alberto Gómez-Carballa  1   2   3 , Antonio Salas  1   3   7   8 , Federico Martinón-Torres  1   2   3   6
Affiliations

Evaluation of BNT162b2 Vaccine Effectiveness in Galicia, Northwest Spain

Jacobo Pardo-Seco et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Investigating vaccine effectiveness (VE) in real-world conditions is crucial, especially its variation across different settings and populations. We undertook a test-negative control study in Galicia (Northwest Spain) to assess BNT162b2 effectiveness against acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection as well as COVID-19 associated hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality. A total of 44,401 positive and 817,025 negative SARS-CoV-2 test results belonging to adults were included. Adjusted odds ratios of vaccination and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using multivariate logistic-regression models. BNT162b2 showed high effectiveness in reducing SARS-CoV-2 infections in all age categories, reaching maximum VE ≥ 14 days after administering the second dose [18-64 years: VE = 92.9% (95%CI: 90.2-95.1); 65-79 years: VE = 85.8% (95%CI: 77.3-91.9), and ≥80 years: VE = 91.4% (95%CI: 87.9-94.1)]. BNT162b2 also demonstrated effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 hospitalization for all age categories, with VE more pronounced for those aged ≥80 years [VE = 60.0% (95%CI: 49.4-68.3)]. Moreover, there was a considerable reduction in ICU admission [VE = 88.0% (95%CI: 74.6-95.8)] and mortality [VE = 38.0% (95%CI: 15.9-55.4)] in the overall population. BNT162b2 showed substantial protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 severity. Our findings would prove useful for systematic reviews and meta-analysis on COVID-19 VE.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; population study; vaccine effectiveness.

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Conflict of interest statement

F.M.-T. received honoraria from GSK group of companies, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi Pasteur, MSD, Seqirus, and Janssen for taking part in advisory boards and expert meetings and for acting as a speaker in congresses outside the scope of the submitted work. F.M.-T. has also acted as principal investigator in randomized controlled trials of the above-mentioned companies as well as Ablynx, Gilead, Regeneron, Roche, Abbott, Novavax, and MedImmune, with honoraria paid to his institution. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of participants’ selection and SARS-CoV-2 test inclusion in the study. 27 December 2020 was established as the index date for case and non-case selection. The study took place between 27 December 2020 and 18 March 2021. *: the same individual could contribute with more than one test to the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency of weekly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests computed by age groups, and number of administered BNT162b2 vaccine doses. The red line represents the unvaccinated population. The green line represents those individuals who received one dose of BNT162b2. The blue line represents those individuals who received two doses of BNT162b2.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Vaccine’s effectiveness results ogBNT162b2 vaccine. 95% CI are displayed in black lines. Extended results in Table S2. N.S.: not significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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