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COVID-19 Infection in Vaccinated Healthcare Professionals
Muneeb Ullah1, Muaz Mubashir2, Hassan Atique2
1General Surgery, Maroof International Hospital, Islamabad, PAK.
Insights
COVID-19 vaccination and prior infection do not guarantee complete immunity. However, vaccination significantly reduces the severity, morbidity, and mortality associated with COVID-19 infection, especially in healthcare professionals.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Vaccinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines are widely used globally, with emergency use authorization by WHO.
- COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections are reported worldwide, necessitating further investigation.
- Limited data exists on COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections and their clinical course in Pakistan, particularly among healthcare professionals (HCPs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence and clinical course of COVID-19 infections among vaccinated healthcare professionals in Pakistan.
- To assess the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing infection and reducing disease severity in HCPs.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study was conducted involving 425 healthcare professionals.
- Data collected included vaccination status, prior and post-vaccination COVID-19 infections, infection severity, and comorbidities.
- Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.
Main Results:
- 17.27% of fully vaccinated HCPs acquired COVID-19 infection; 2.47% had infections both pre- and post-vaccination.
- The majority of infected HCPs (92.95%) experienced mild symptoms, with low rates of hospitalization (1.4%) or ICU admission (1.4%).
- No infections were reported among HCPs who received booster doses.
Conclusions:
- Prior COVID-19 infection and vaccination do not confer complete immunity against infection.
- COVID-19 vaccination is effective in limiting the severity, morbidity, and mortality of the disease.
- Booster doses may provide enhanced protection against COVID-19 infection.
Background:
There are different types of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines available presently, and their emergency use has been approved by WHO worldwide on a mass scale. COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections have been reported worldwide. In Pakistan, there are limited data on COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections and their clinical course, especially in healthcare professionals (HCPs). Our study aims to investigate COVID-19 infections among vaccinated HCPs.
Methods:
A prospective study was conducted on 425 healthcare professionals. Data collected from healthcare professionals included names, age, gender, number of vaccination doses, COVID-19 infection pre and post-vaccination, the severity of COVID-19 infection (if positive), and co-morbid conditions. Ethical board approval was taken. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used to analyze the data.
Results:
After complete vaccination, 17.27% acquired COVID-19 infection; 2.47% had COVID-19 infection both pre and post-vaccination. The mean age was 32.46 years (n=71) with a standard deviation of ±9.376. The male to female ratio was 1.53. COVID-19 PCR was positive in 95.77%. During the course of the disease, 4.2% were asymptomatic, 92.95% had mild symptoms, 1.4% were hospitalized, and 1.4% had to be managed in the intensive care unit. None of the HCPs who had received booster doses acquired a COVID-19 infection.
Conclusion:
It was found that prior COVID-19 infection and vaccination do not confer immunity from infection. However, proper vaccination limits the severity, morbidity, and mortality of COVID-19 infection.
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