Anti-spike IgG antibody kinetics following the second and third doses of BNT162b2 vaccine in nursing home residents.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Duration of post-vaccination protection against COVID-19 in nursing home (NH) residents is a critical issue. The objective of this study was to estimate the duration of the IgG(S) response to the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine in NH residents with (COV-Yes) or without (COV-No) history of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

METHODS:

A 574 COV-Yes and COV-No NH residents were included in 2 cohorts: Main (n = 115, median age 87 years) or Confirmatory (n = 459, median age 89 years). IgG(S) quantification was carried out at three different time points following the BNT162b2 vaccine: three (1st) and seven (2nd) months after the 2nd dose, and 1 month after the 3rd dose (3rd quantification) in the Main cohort, and twice (2nd and 3rd) in the Confirmatory cohort. The seroneutralization capacity according to COVID-19 history was also measured in a subgroup of patients.

RESULTS:

Neutralization capacity was strongly correlated with IgG(S) levels (R2 :76%) without any difference between COV-Yes and COV-No groups for the same levels of IgG(S). After the 2nd dose, duration of the assumed robust protection (IgG(S) >264 BAU/ml) was two-fold higher in the COV-Yes vs. COV-No group: 12.60 (10.69-14.44) versus 5.76 (3.91-8.64) months, with this advantage mainly due to the higher IgG(S) titers after the 2nd dose and secondary to a slower decay over time. After the 3rd dose, duration of robust protection was estimated at 11.87 (9.88-14.87) (COV-Yes) and 8.95 (6.85-11.04) (COV-No) months. These results were similar in both cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

In old subjects living in NH, history of SARS-CoV-2 infection provides a clear advantage in the magnitude and duration of high IgG(S) titers following the 2nd dose. Importantly, the 3rd dose induces a much more pronounced IgG(S) response than the 2nd dose in COV-No subjects, the effect of which should be able to ensure a prolonged protection against severe forms of COVID-19 in these subjects.

• Authors: Helene Jeulin, Carlos Labat, Kevin Duarte, Simon Toupance, Gregoire Nadin, Denis Craus, Ioannis Georgiopoulos, Isabelle Gantois, François Goehringer, Athanase Benetos
• Journal: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (J Am Geriatr Soc) Vol. 70 Issue 9 Pg. 2552-2560 (09 2022) ISSN: 1532-5415 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 35484977 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Geriatrics Society.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Viral
• Immunoglobulin G
• RNA, Messenger
• Vaccines
• BNT162 Vaccine

Topics

• Aged, 80 and over
• Antibodies, Viral
• BNT162 Vaccine
• COVID-19 (prevention & control)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin G
• Nursing Homes
• RNA, Messenger
• SARS-CoV-2
• Vaccines