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COVID-19 infection among vaccinated and unvaccinated: Does it make any difference?

Samar Fatima1, Amara Zafar1, Haris Afzal1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Section of Internal Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.

Plos One
|July 15, 2022
PubMed

Insights

COVID-19 vaccination reduces severe illness and death, though breakthrough infections can occur. Continued vaccination efforts are crucial to lower mortality rates in hospitalized patients.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Vaccinology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Vaccination against COVID-19 is hypothesized to reduce disease severity and complications.
  • Understanding the clinical profiles and outcomes of vaccinated versus unvaccinated patients is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the characteristics, clinical profiles, and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in vaccinated and unvaccinated hospitalized patients.
  • To assess the impact of vaccination status on disease severity and mortality.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational cohort study at Aga Khan University Hospital (June-September 2021).
  • Data collected included demographics, comorbidities, vaccination status, clinical presentation, lab results, and CT findings.
  • Outcomes assessed: condition at discharge, level of care, length of stay, ventilation, and inotropic support requirements.

Main Results:

  • Unvaccinated patients showed significantly higher critical care admissions (p=0.043) and invasive ventilation needs (p=0.04).
  • Higher median levels of procalcitonin, ferritin, LDH, and D-dimer were observed in unvaccinated individuals.
  • Overall mortality was 12.2%, with unvaccinated patients experiencing higher mortality (16.2%) compared to fully vaccinated patients (6.1%, p=0.006).

Conclusions:

  • Vaccination is associated with reduced severity and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, although severe cases can still occur in vaccinated individuals.
  • The proportion of severe outcomes is significantly lower in vaccinated populations.
  • Continued vaccination efforts and development of more effective vaccines are recommended to decrease COVID-19 mortality.
Abstract

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