TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethno-demographic disparities in humoral responses to the COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers
AU - Ahluwalia, Pankaj
AU - Vashisht, Ashutosh
AU - Singh, Harmanpreet
AU - Sahajpal, Nikhil Shri
AU - Mondal, Ashis K.
AU - Jones, Kimya
AU - Farmaha, Jaspreet
AU - Bloomquist, Ryan Fredric
AU - Carlock, Caroline Marie
AU - Fransoso, Drew
AU - Sun, Christina
AU - Day, Tyler
AU - Prah, Comfort
AU - Vuong, Trinh
AU - Ray, Patty
AU - Bradshaw, Danielle
AU - Galvis, Marisol Miranda
AU - Fulzele, Sadanand
AU - Raval, Girindra
AU - Moore, Justin Xavier
AU - Cortes, Jorge
AU - James, Jeffrey Nelson
AU - Kota, Vamsi
AU - Kolhe, Ravindra
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Medical Virology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on global health, but rapid vaccine administration resulted in a significant decline in morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. In this study, we sought to explore the temporal changes in the humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2 healthcare workers (HCWs) in Augusta, GA, USA, and investigate any potential associations with ethno-demographic features. Specifically, we aimed to compare the naturally infected individuals with naïve individuals to understand the immune response dynamics after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. A total of 290 HCWs were included and assessed prospectively in this study. COVID status was determined using a saliva-based COVID assay. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels were quantified using a chemiluminescent immunoassay system, and IgG levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. We examined the changes in antibody levels among participants using different statistical tests including logistic regression and multiple correspondence analysis. Our findings revealed a significant decline in NAb and IgG levels at 8−12 months postvaccination. Furthermore, a multivariable analysis indicated that this decline was more pronounced in White HCWs (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07−4.08, p = 0.02) and IgG (OR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.04−4.11, p = 0.03) among the whole cohort. Booster doses significantly increased IgG and NAb levels, while a decline in antibody levels was observed in participants without booster doses at 12 months postvaccination. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the dynamics of immune response and the potential influence of demographic factors on waning immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition, our findings emphasize the value of booster doses to ensure durable immunity.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on global health, but rapid vaccine administration resulted in a significant decline in morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. In this study, we sought to explore the temporal changes in the humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2 healthcare workers (HCWs) in Augusta, GA, USA, and investigate any potential associations with ethno-demographic features. Specifically, we aimed to compare the naturally infected individuals with naïve individuals to understand the immune response dynamics after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. A total of 290 HCWs were included and assessed prospectively in this study. COVID status was determined using a saliva-based COVID assay. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels were quantified using a chemiluminescent immunoassay system, and IgG levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. We examined the changes in antibody levels among participants using different statistical tests including logistic regression and multiple correspondence analysis. Our findings revealed a significant decline in NAb and IgG levels at 8−12 months postvaccination. Furthermore, a multivariable analysis indicated that this decline was more pronounced in White HCWs (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07−4.08, p = 0.02) and IgG (OR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.04−4.11, p = 0.03) among the whole cohort. Booster doses significantly increased IgG and NAb levels, while a decline in antibody levels was observed in participants without booster doses at 12 months postvaccination. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the dynamics of immune response and the potential influence of demographic factors on waning immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition, our findings emphasize the value of booster doses to ensure durable immunity.
KW - COVID-19
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - antibodies
KW - booster
KW - ethnicity
KW - neutralizing antibody
KW - pandemic
KW - racial disparity
KW - vaccine
KW - virus
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U2 - 10.1002/jmv.29067
DO - 10.1002/jmv.29067
M3 - Article
C2 - 37675796
AN - SCOPUS:85169998946
SN - 0146-6615
VL - 95
JO - Journal of Medical Virology
JF - Journal of Medical Virology
IS - 9
M1 - e29067
ER -