Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Day two of the trial for Michael Gordon Jackson, a man accused of abducting his daughter to avoid a COVID-19 vaccine continued in Regina Tuesday, with his former wife taking the stand.

Day two of the trial for Michael Gordon Jackson, a man accused of abducting his daughter to avoid a COVID-19 vaccine continued in Regina Tuesday, with his former wife taking the stand.

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The 53-year-old Jackson is charged that sometime between Dec. 6, 2021 and Jan. 21, 2022, at Carievale, Sask., he contravened a custody order by taking the child with intent to keep her from her mother.

Jackson is representing himself throughout the trial.

On Tuesday afternoon, the jury heard questions thrown at Mariecar Jackson concerning their daughter.

Mariecar told the courtroom that she and Michael met in 2013 and after three and a half years of marriage, the couple separated and Mariecar became the primary parent of their daughter.

In 2019, a final custody order was put in place, which said Mariecar would have the final decision on their daughters well-being, but Michael would have to be consulted.

Fast forward to Nov. 10, 2021, and Mariecar said Michael picked up their daughter from school and was supposed to drop her off on Nov. 15.

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She told the courtroom she was texting Michael when he said he would not be returning their daughter.

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Then, on Nov. 19, Mariecar claims Michael asked her to provide a letter outlining her position on their daughter being vaccinated for COVID-19.

A few days later on Nov. 21, Mariecar had a brief phone call with their daughter. She said the last words spoken to her were, I love you mom, before the call was disconnected.

On Nov. 26, RCMP officers breached the door of a home in Carievale looking for Michael and their child.

Mariecar says the next time she saw her daughter was when RCMP found Michael in Vernon, B.C., on Feb. 22, 2022.

The trail will continue throughout the next two weeks, with many witnesses still set to take the stand.

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Mother testifies in trial of man accused of abducting child to avoid COVID-19 vaccine - Global News

Michael Gordon Jackson leaves Regina Court of King's Bench Tuesday with some friends and supporters. (Richard Agecoutay/CBC - image credit)

The trial of a Carievale, Sask., man charged with abduction after he allegedly failedto return his seven-year-old daughter to the care of her mother in 2021 began this week in Regina.

COVID-19 vaccination emerged as an issueon Tuesday, the second day of Michael Gordon Jackson's jury trial at Regina King's Bench Court. Jackson has pleaded not guilty.

The girl's mother, who is estranged from the accused,testified Tuesday that Jackson was opposed to the COVID vaccine and did not want his daughter to receive the shots.

The mothersaid she met Michael at a diner while waitressingin 2013. They started dating and were married five months later. Their daughter was born a year after they met.

The mothersaid she left Michael in December 2016 after three and a half years of marriage and took her daughter to live with her in Regina.

Under their agreement, they would have joint custody, but the mother would have the final decision in health and education matters, she said.

The mother had primary custody, but Michael would get the daughter on Easter holidays, spring break, family week and certain long weekends.She said that for one of those long weekend visits, in November 2021, Michael was supposed to to pick their daughter up from school in Regina and bring her back five days later.

That didn't happen, she testified.

Michael Gordon Jackson, on left in the sweater, is charged with abduction. (Richard Agecoutay/CBC)

Mother says accused sent links to anti-vaccine videos

The mother testified thatfor several days, Michael would her links on COVID-19 vaccinations and ask her opinion on vaccinations.

She said she was driving to Carievale to pick up her daughter and received a text message from Jackson saying he "wasn't going to play games" and thatshe needed to provide a letter stating she would not vaccinate their daughter before he would return the girl to her mother.

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In February 2022, the mother obtained an affidavit stating she would not vaccinate their daughter.

"I made the letter so I could see my daughter," she testified.

Despite the letter, Jackson did not return to girl, the mother said.

Police issueda Canada-wide warrant for Jackson's arrest.

On February 22, 2022, the mother heard from RCMP that they had found her daughter and arrested Jackson. She was then flown to the Vernon RCMP detachment, where she was reunited with her daughter. They came home the next day.

Jackson is representing himself at trial with the help of a "friend of the court" who assists him with procedure.

Jackson cross-examined the mother Tuesday. Under his questioning, she confirmed that she knew how "passionate" he was about vaccinations and that he didn't want their daughter getting COVID shots.

The trial, which is happening before Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown and a jury, is expected to last two weeks.

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Mother tells Regina court her ex, accused of abducting their child, was opposed to COVID-19 vaccines - Yahoo News Canada

Its spring, the season for sweet strawberries, colorful tulips, crisp vegetables and a COVID-19 booster shot.

Health experts with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend an extra doseofthe 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccinefor all people in the U.S. ages 65 and older.

To help sort out the details about the new spring COVID-19 booster shot,Dr.Michelle Barron, UCHealthssenior medical director of infection prevention and control, answers a few common questions, below.

CDC experts recommend the booster for everyone ages 65 and older. In addition, people who are immunocompromised also have been eligible for extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Barron.

At this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults are having a tougher time when they get a bad case of COVID-19. Thats not surprising because immune systems in older people arent as strong as they are in the young, aside from younger people who are immunocompromised.

Here are some reasons why medical advisors to the CDC recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot.

More than half of people who had to be hospitalized for COVID-19 between October and December of 2023 were older than age 65, according to CDC researchers.

Even four years into the pandemic, people continue to die of COVID-19, and people ages 65 and older have a much higher risk of dying of COVID-19 than younger people.People ages 75 and older were much more likely to die if they contracted COVID-19 than people who were sick with COVID-19 and were 65 to 74 years old.

Vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, so especially for vulnerable people, its great to give the immune system a boost in combating COVID-19 infections.

Youll want to wait at least four months since the last time you had a COVID-19 vaccine, Barron said.

No, if youve recently gotten sick with COVID-19, you should wait about three months.

You dont want to get your new shot until its been 90 days since your last COVID-19 episode, Barron said.

No, dont wait for the fall vaccine. Unless youve recently been sick with COVID-19, you should not wait to get a spring booster dose.

Vaccine makers and experts at the CDC are planning for newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall of 2024. Anyone who gets a booster this spring will also be eligible to get a dose of the newest COVID-19 vaccine this fall.

Yes.Even though vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, Barron said its still tremendously helpful to get COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots because they significantly reduce deaths and hospitalizations.

Barron thinksthe newest CDC guidelinessimplify things.

The message I have for all of this is to use good old-fashioned common sense. If you are sick, please dont visitagrandparentwhoisolder and vulnerable. Also, please dont spend time with your friend who is just finishing cancer treatments or visit a brand new baby, Barron said. All of those people are at risk for having complications if they get sick, regardless of the virus that were talking about.

Medical experts advise people to stay home and avoid contact with other people until at least 24 hours after they havehadsymptoms like a fever, bad cough or other signs of illness.

Once a persons fever breaks, they should still be cautious about exposing others since some people can remain contagious later. CDC experts encourage people to use good hygiene practices like frequent hand washing and wear a mask if theyre in crowded indoor settings. Its also wise to keep your distance from vulnerable people and take steps to be in well-ventilated areas.

What do you recommend as the right approach if people are sick, even if they havent gotten tested and dont know if they have COVID-19, the flu, RSV or a cold?

If you feel sick, and youre coughing, sneezing or cant eat or drink, you should stay home, Barron said. Whatever the cause, if you have a fever, you should not be at work or at school until youve no longer had a fever for at least 24 hours without taking anti-fever medications like Tylenol or ibuprofen.

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Monday Medical: Spring COVID-19 booster shots. Should you get one? And what's the best timing? - Steamboat Pilot & Today

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German court orders AstraZeneca to present data on cases of thrombosis that could be related to its covid-19 vaccine - Voz Media

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday began administering the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron subvariant XBB to vulnerable groups.

In a press conference, Deputy Health Minister Chou Jih-haw () urged the vulnerable groups to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as the pandemic continues to be a threat.

Eligible recipients include seniors aged 65 and above, Indigenous people aged 55-64, as well as individuals aged 6 months and older with immunodeficiency or weakened immune systems, the CDC said.

Taiwan initiated the rollout of the XBB vaccine in September last year, with Moderna and Novavax being the current available brands.

The first and second doses of the XBB vaccine should be administered with an interval of at least 12 weeks (84 days), the CDC said, adding that they could come from different brands.

Statistics showed that individuals with weaker immune systems may experience a decline in vaccine efficacy three to five months after receiving the first COVID shot, Chou said, stressing the importance of getting a second shot.

(By Tseng Yi-ning and Lee Hsin-Yin)

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Taiwan starts giving 2nd dose of COVID vaccine for Omicron subvariant XBB - Focus Taiwan

Pfizer has been accused by the UKs pharmaceutical watchdog of bringing discredit on the industry after senior executives used social media to promote an unlicensed Covid vaccine.

The company has been found to have breached the regulatory code five times, which also includes making misleading claims, failing to maintain high standards and promoting unlicensed medicines.

A ruling by the pharmaceutical watchdog, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), relates to a complaint about a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in November 2020 by senior Pfizer employees.

The complaint raised concern about Pfizers misuse of social media to misleadingly and illegally promote their Covid vaccine, according to the ruling.

They claimed that such misbehaviour on social media was even more widespread than they had thought and extended right to the top of their UK operation.

The complaint centred on a social media post on X by Dr Berkeley Phillips, the medical director of Pfizer UK. He shared a post from an employee of Pfizer in the US which said: Our vaccine candidate is 95 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19, and 94 per cent effective in people over 65 years old. We will file all of our data with health authorities within days. Thank you to every volunteer in our trial, and to all who are tirelessly fighting this pandemic.

Four other Pfizer employees, including one senior colleague, published the same message

The PMCPA ruling noted that this message contained limited information about the vaccines efficacy, no safety information and no reference to adverse events.

It went on to say that the social media post resulted in an unlicensed medicine being proactively disseminated on Twitter to health professions and members of the public in the UK.

A Pfizer UK spokesman said that the company fully recognises and accepts the issues highlighted by this PMCPA ruling, adding that it is deeply sorry.

They said: Pfizer UK has a comprehensive policy on personal use of social media in relation to Pfizers business which prohibits colleagues from interacting with any social media related to Pfizers medicines and vaccines backed by staff briefings and training.

The personal use of social media by UK pharmaceutical industry employees in relation to company business is a challenging area for pharmaceutical companies, in which we continue to take all of the appropriate steps that are reasonably expected of a pharmaceutical company.

As part of their response to the ruling, Pfizer said it had launched a review into its employees use of social media platforms to ensure compliance with their own rules as well as the regulatory code.

It is the sixth time Pfizer has been reprimanded by the regulator over its promotion of the Covid-19 vaccine.

One ruling by the watchdog, from November 2022, found that Pfizers chief executive made misleading statements about childrens vaccines.

Following a complaint from the campaign group UsForThem, the PMCPA found that Pfizer had misled the public, made unsubstantiated claims and failed to present information in a balanced way.

Three of the other Pfizer cases related to LinkedIn posts, one related one was about claims made in a press release and one was about posts on X.

For the most recent series of breaches, Pfizer was charged administrative costs of 34,800.

Ben Kingsley, the head of legal affairs at UsForThem, said: Its astonishing how many times Pfizers senior executives have been found guilty of serious regulatory offences in this case including the most serious offence of all under the UK Code of Practice.

Yet the consequences for Pfizer and the individuals concerned continue to be derisory. This hopeless system of regulation for a multi-billion dollar life and death industry has become a sham, in dire need of reform.

Dr Phillips, the UK country medical director for Pfizer, said the social media post was accidental and unintentional adding: That said, we immediately accepted the case ruling and do everything we can to ensure that our employees adhere to our strict social media policy and the industry Code of Practice when using their personal social media.

David Watson of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said that the code of practice, which is overseen by the PMCPA, sets high standards for companies that reflect and go beyond UK law.

He added that cases that are found to have brought discredit on the industry are advertised in the medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing press.

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Pfizer accused of 'bringing discredit' on pharmaceutical industry after Covid social media posts - Yahoo News

SINGAPORE - Senior citizens should consider receiving booster doses of the updated Covid-19 vaccine regularly, according to a recently published study by local researchers.

This is because in people over 65, protection from the first two doses wanes faster as they have a lower immune cell count.

The study was led by Dr Vanda Ho, a PhD student at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Immunology and Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programmes at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

It involved 29 participants, 14 of whom were aged between 66 and 82, and the rest being younger adults between 25 and 39 years old. They all received two doses of Pfizers mRNA Covid-19 vaccine.

The findings of the study were published in the peer-reviewed journal Ageing Cell in February.

Older adults had a significant increase in neutralisation after the second dose, but this was still lower than the younger adults, despite the former being robust, said Dr Ho.

So it is important for older adults to go for booster vaccinations regularly to protect themselves, she noted.

mRNA vaccines work by introducing a small piece of a protein found in the virus so that cells can produce the viral protein. The immune system then recognises the protein as foreign and produces antibodies to protect the body against infection.

The immune system can be triggered by a vaccine to produce neutralising antibodies in response to the virus or bacteria in the vaccine, resulting in the system recognising and fighting the infection naturally when exposed to the disease later.

As a geriatrician at the National University Hospital, Dr Ho often sees older adults come into the wards with infections for the first time.

Unfortunately, after that first infection, they tend to be re-admitted for further infections. I saw the same patients decline functionally and cognitively because of the initial infection.

That really triggered my interest that maybe we can prevent the infection, or at least reduce the side effects, then we can help to increase their health span, she told The Straits Times.

She added that just as she was thinking of conducting research on the topic as part of her doctoral studies, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

It was really a great opportunity to capitalise on, she said.

Everyone in the world was getting the same immune stimulus: the Covid-19 vaccination.Prior to that, older and younger adults went through different vaccination regimens. The pandemic presented us with the best opportunity to study if pre- and post-vaccinated older and younger adults respond the same way.

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Covid-19 vaccine protection wanes faster among the elderly, booster shots needed: NUS study - The Straits Times

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.

With spring and the end of flu season just around the corner, many Canadians are wondering whether or not they need an updated COVID-19 vaccine and what the future of the virus may look like.

In January, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released recommendations for administering a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines in the spring, particularly targeting Canadians with a heightened vulnerability to severe illness caused by the virus. These are typically people aged 65 or older, or those who are immunocompromised.

But Dr. Horacio Bach, a researcher and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia's faculty of medicine, noted everyone can benefit from a COVID-19 booster every six months, or six months from their last date of infection.

"Antibodies don't last. After six months, they start to fade," he told Yahoo Canada. "We've known that from the very beginning, even before the vaccine, even for people naturally infected."

Still, the NACI recommended it's crucial high-risk individuals get their extra dose of the latest vaccine first to better protect them against the current variants of the Omicron origin. People considered high-risk include:

As of right now, only Ontario residents identified as higher risk will be able to access spring booster shots starting in April. British Columbia is set to announce its own guidance soon, while people in Manitoba and Nova Scotia are already able to access their spring booster.

Some research shows COVID-19 could ultimately develop a seasonal pattern, but for now, it hasn't disappeared in the spring or summer like the flu does.

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"The flu is seasonal. That's the reason we get one shot in November. What we see in COVID-19 is not as seasonal due to the number of hospitalizations," Bach said. "It's not something that disappears in the spring or summer. We don't know the behaviour of these viruses; everything is changing."

It may seem like COVID-19 is following a seasonal pattern, but only because flu season is a convenient time to remind people to get vaccinated. While COVID-19 infection rates tend to lower in the warmer months, they still persist, not reaching the same low levels as the flu does in the warmer months.

According to the NACI, people aged 80 and older face the highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Nevertheless, the recommendation now includes those aged 65 and above, recognizing the risk of severe infection varies across older adult age groups.

This demographic tends to deal with ailments, like gastrointestinal problems, high blood pressure and other underlying diseases, that put them at greater risk. Some are taking medication for other illnesses that render them immunocompromised, too.

"We age and there are problems and that's reflected in the immune response," Bach said. Someone who's 60 to 80 may not be as strong as when they were 20 years old."

Getting a spring booster is especially important for this demographic if they didn't receive a booster last fall.

Despite masking and social distancing no longer being mandatory, the recommendations remain the same: Mask up, stay home when you're sick and wash your hands.

"[Masks] are highly protective as long as they have at least three layers because the virus gets trapped there," Bach shared.

While he recommended wearing K95 or KN95 masks, even surgical masks are better than nothing, "as long as you wear it properly." That means well-fitted to the face and no gaping holes on either side of the mask.

Though some people may feel COVID-19 is just like getting the flu, the real risk many don't consider is long COVID, Bach added. Long COVID symptoms can include tiredness or fatigue, difficulty breathing, cough, chest pain, sleep disturbances and more.

At least 65 million people worldwide are estimated to have long COVID, according to a study in Nature Communications. That's 10 per cent of all severe acute respiratory infections, which is a high percentage, according to Bach, even though it sounds small. It's also likely much higher due to undocumented cases.

"If you get long COVID, you'll be impaired for we don't know how long and we don't know how to treat it yet," Bach noted. "Everyone is different. It's better to protect [yourself] than get sick."

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Do you need a spring COVID-19 booster vaccine? What to know, plus updated guidelines for the season - Yahoo Canada Shine On

Basic characteristics of the study participants and overall seroprevalence among the vaccinated community

The distribution of participants based on socio-demographic data and potential risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection is presented in Table 1. Out of the total, 10,669 blood samples were assessed (12% of participants refused to participate in the serological survey), comprising 7,380 women and 3,475 men, with a median age of 44years (ranging from 14 to 102years) (Table 1).

The serological survey encompassed 10,669 participants, with 8,602 having received two doses of BBIBP-CorV/Sinopharm (meanSEM of months after the second dose=8.110.08), 1,817 with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (COVISHIELD, Oxford/AstraZeneca; meanSEM of months after the second dose=9.820.15), 208 with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech, Comirnaty, Pfizer, USA; meanSEM of months after the second dose=7.140.55), and 42 participants vaccinated with a single dose of JCovden/Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine (meanSEM of months after the first dose=7.501.00). Adjusted overall seroprevalences did not show significant differences between vaccines (p=0.099).

We determined an adjusted seroprevalence rate of 96% (95% CI: 95.5% to 96.4%) among participants who received the BBIBP-CorV vaccine (Table 2). Logistic regression analysis revealed several variables associated with a higher risk of detecting anti-SRAS-CoV-2 antibodies (Table 3). Specifically, a higher prevalence of antibody positivity was linked to age. Additionally, the odds of being antibody-positive are 0.59 times lower for male participants than for females. A higher prevalence of antibody positivity was associated with hypertension, mask-wearing, and PCR-confirmed COVID-19 disease (Table 3). Furthermore, the analysis by chronic kidney disease revealed that participants with kidney disease had a significantly lower probability of being seropositive than participants without kidney disease (Table 3).

For participants vaccinated with ChAdOx1-nCov-19, the adjusted seroprevalence was 97% (95% CI: 9697.9) (Table 2). Logistic regression analysis assessing the association between SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and demographic characteristics and chronic diseases between February and June 2022 is presented in Table 4. In univariable analysis, participants in the age groups of more than 1419years and those with a PCR-confirmed diagnosis (OR=2.65; 95% CI: 1.056.68; p=0.038) tended to be significantly more likely to be seropositive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (Table 4). In contrast, in the multivariable analysis, only participants with a PCR-confirmed diagnosis were more likely to be seropositive for anti-RBD (OR=2.69; 95% CI: 1.177.78; p=0.036) (Table 4).

For participants vaccinated with BNT162b2, the overall adjusted prevalence of anti-SRAS-CoV-2 antibodies was 98.5% (95% CI: 95.0100.0) (Table 2). Logistic regression analysis showed that participants with hypertension who received BNT162b2 were more likely to be seronegative compared to female participants and those without hypertension (Table 5).

The adjusted seroprevalence among participants vaccinated with the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine was 98% (95% CI: 85.2100.0). Owing to the small sample size (n=42), logistic regression analysis of the association between SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions was not conducted.

Subsequently, we evaluated the magnitude of the humoral response by measuring IgG antibodies to the RBD of the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The median RBD antibody concentrations were 2355 AU/mL, 3714 AU/mL, 5838 AU/mL, and 2495 AU/mL after two doses of BBIBP-CorV/Sinopharm, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/Oxford/AstraZeneca, BNT162b2/Pfizer-BioNTech, and after one dose of JCovden/Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine. Significant differences were observed among vaccine brands (p<0.0001). Notably, there was no significant difference between the JCovden vaccine and the BBIBP-CorV vaccine (p=0.691) (Fig.1).

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels among four vaccine brands. Data are presented as median and interquartile range for IgG antibody. MannWhitney and KruskalWallis tests were used.

Stratifying participants who received the BBIBP-CorV vaccine revealed a significant difference in antibody concentration titers by gender (median=2428 vs. 2238 AU/mL for females and males, respectively) (p=0.004) (Fig.2A). An association was identified between age and anti-RBD IgG levels in BBIBP-CorV vaccine recipients (<0.0001), with the highest levels observed in those aged65years (median=5145.5 AU/mL) (Fig.2B).

Anti-RBD IgG antibody responses to BBIBP-CorV vaccine/Sinopharm in the general population. (A) Antibody levels subdivided by gender. (B) Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels by age. (C) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without diabetes. (D) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without chronic kidney disease. (E) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without hypertension. (F) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without cancer. (G) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without mask-wearing. (H) Antibody levels by the history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Data are presented as median and interquartile range for IgG antibody titers. MannWhitney test was used for comparisons.

Unexpectedly, participants with comorbidities exhibited the highest levels of anti-RBD IgG (Fig.2CE), while for participants with cancer, antibody levels showed no significant difference between those with (median=2078 AU/mL) and without cancer (median=2358 AU/mL) (Fig.2F). Additionally, individuals reporting mask-wearing demonstrated higher anti-RBD antibody titers (median=2468 AU/mL) compared to those not wearing masks (median=2215 AU/mL) (p=0.0002) (Fig.2G).

Lastly, our data revealed that individuals with confirmed exposure to SARS-CoV-2 had elevated anti-RBD antibody titers (median=3019 AU/mL) compared with uninfected individuals (median=2222 AU/mL) (Fig.2H).

Stratifying participants who received the Covishield vaccine revealed no significant difference in the humoral response by gender (median=3698 vs. 3845 AU/mL for females and males, respectively) (p=0.681) (Fig.3A). In contrast, bivariate Spearman analysis revealed a positive correlation between age and anti-RBD IgG titers (r=0.240, 95% CI: 0.195 to 0.284, p<0.0001) (Fig.3B).

Antibody responses against RBD after two doses of ChAdOx1-nCoV-19/AstraZeneca. (A) Gender difference in antibody response. (B) Scatter plot of the distribution of antibody titers according to age. (C) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without diabetes. (D) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without chronic kidney disease. (E) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without hypertension. (F) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without cardiovascular disease. (G) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without cancer. (H) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without mask-wearing. (I) Antibody levels by the history of coronavirus disease 2019. Data are presented as median and interquartile range for IgG antibody titers. Spearman correlation and MannWhitney test were used for comparisons.

Comparison between participants according to medical comorbidities revealed elevated anti-RBD antibody concentrations in those with diabetes (median=4660.5 vs. 3461 AU/mL for with diabetes and without diabetes, respectively) (p=0.002) (Fig.3C), chronic hypertension (median=4416 vs. 3546 AU/mL for with chronic hypertension and without chronic hypertension, respectively) (p=0.015) (Fig.3D), and renal disease (median=10,933 vs. 3637 AU/mL for with renal disease and without renal disease, respectively) (p<0.0001) (Fig.3E). In contrast, there was no statistical difference in antibody titers between participants with cancer (median=6038 AU/mL) and those without cancer (median=3708.5 AU/mL) (p=0.525) (Fig.3F) and cardiovascular disease (median=4094 vs. 3701 AU/mL for with cardiovascular disease and without cardiovascular disease, respectively) (p=0.830) (Fig.3G). Additionally, wearing a mask did not affect the humoral response in Covishield-vaccinated participants (Fig.3H) (p=0.611). However, prior exposure to COVID-19 increased the level of anti-RBD IgG (median=4618 vs. 3508 AU/mL for individuals with confirmed exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and uninfected individuals, respectively) (p=0.003) (Fig.3I).

In fully vaccinated participants with BNT162b2/Pfizer, stratification by demographics, comorbidities, and history of COVID-19 showed no significant differences in anti-RBD antibody concentrations (Fig.4AD,F). In contrast, an elevated antibody level was observed in participants who reported wearing a mask (median=6753 AU/mL) compared with those who did not report wearing a mask (median=4909 AU/mL) (p=0.046) (Fig.4E).

Antibody responses against RBD following two doses of BioNTech162b2/Pfizer vaccine. (A) Distribution of antibody titers according to sex. (B) Correlation of age and anti-RBD IgG antibody levels. (C) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without diabetes. (D) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without hypertension. (E) SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in participants with and without mask-wearing. (F) Antibody levels by the history of coronavirus disease 2019. Data are presented as box and whisker plots with the minimum and maximum range for IgG antibody titers. Spearman correlation and MannWhitney test were used for comparisons.

Stratification of participants vaccinated with JCovden/Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine showed no association by gender (p=0.456), and no correlation between age and anti-RBD antibody levels was noted (p=0.362). However, stratification of participants by comorbidities was not performed due to the limited sample size (n=42).

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Seroepidemiological assessment of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responsiveness and associated factors in the vaccinated ... - Nature.com

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