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Booster Vaccination with BNT162b2 Improves Cellular and Humoral Immune Response in the Pediatric Population Immunized

Diego A Díaz-Dinamarca1, Simone Cárdenas-Cáceres2, Nicolás A Muena2

  • 1Subdepartamento Innovación y Desarrollo, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago 7780050, Chile.

Vaccines
|August 29, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Booster vaccinations with BNT162b2 significantly enhance immune responses against the Omicron variant in children compared to CoronaVac alone. Three doses of BNT162b2 provided the strongest protection against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Virology
  • Pediatric Medicine

Background:

  • The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant causes significant pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations globally.
  • BNT162b2 and CoronaVac are primary pediatric vaccines in Chile, with limited data on Wuhan-Hu-1 strain-based vaccines in this age group.
  • Booster vaccinations are crucial for maintaining immunity against emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the humoral and cellular immune responses against the Omicron BA.1 variant in a pediatric cohort.
  • To compare the immunogenicity of different vaccination schedules involving CoronaVac and BNT162b2 boosters.
  • To assess the effectiveness of heterologous vaccination strategies in children aged 10-16 years.

Main Methods:

  • A pediatric cohort (10-16 years) received varying vaccination schedules: 2 doses CoronaVac, 2x CoronaVac + 1x BNT162b2, 2x CoronaVac + 2x BNT162b2, or 3x BNT162b2.
  • Humoral immunity was assessed via anti-S1 and neutralizing antibody titers against Omicron BA.1.
  • Cellular immunity was evaluated by measuring specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses.

Main Results:

  • The [CoronaVac(2x) + BNT162b2 (2x)] schedule induced higher anti-S1 and neutralizing antibody titers than 2x CoronaVac alone.
  • Enhanced CD4 and CD8 T cell immunity specific to Omicron was observed in the heterologous vaccination groups.
  • The highest immunity against Omicron was achieved in the group receiving three doses of BNT162b2.

Conclusions:

  • Booster vaccination with BNT162b2 significantly improves protective immunity against Omicron in children compared to two CoronaVac doses.
  • Heterologous vaccination strategies, particularly with multiple BNT162b2 boosters, enhance pediatric immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron.
  • BNT162b2 vaccination, especially in a three-dose regimen, offers superior protection against Omicron in the pediatric population.

Keywords:
BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech)COVID-19ChileCoronaVacSARS-CoV-2SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodiesheterologous vaccination

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