The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Publication

Immunogenicity of concomitant SARS-CoV-2 and influenza vaccination in UK healthcare workers: a prospective longitudinal observational study


Authors:

  • Nazareth, Joshua
  • Martin, Christopher A.
  • Pan, Daniel
  • Barr, Ian G.
  • Sullivan, Sheena G.
  • Peck, Heidi
  • Veli, Neyme
  • Das, Mrinal
  • Bryant, Luke
  • George, Nisha
  • Gohar, Marjan
  • Gray, Laura J.
  • Teece, Lucy
  • Vail, Denny
  • Renals, Val
  • Karia, Aleesha
  • Renals, Paul
  • Moss, Paul
  • Tattersall, Andrea
  • Otter, Ashley D.
  • Haldar, Pranab
  • Cooper, Andrea
  • Stephenson, Iain
  • Wiselka, Martin J.
  • Tang, Julian W.
  • Nellums, Laura
  • Pareek, Manish

Details:

The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, Volume 44, 2024-09-30

Article Link: Click here

Background Co-administration of inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may impact SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induced humoral immune responses. We aimed to compare IIV and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induced cellular and humoral immune responses in those receiving concomitant vaccination to those receiving these vaccines separately. Methods We conducted a cohort study between 29th September 2021 and 5th August 2022 in healthcare workers who worked at the local NHS trust and in the surrounding area that were vaccinated with a mRNA SARS-CoV-2 booster and cell-based IIV. We measured haemagglutination inhibition assay (HAI) titres, SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody and SARS-CoV-2 ELISpot count pre-vaccination, 1-month and 6-months post-vaccination and evaluated differences by vaccine strategy. Findings We recruited 420 participants, 234/420 (56%) were vaccinated concomitantly and 186/420 (44%) separately. The 1-month post-vaccination mean fold rise (MFR) in SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibodies was lower in those vaccinated concomitantly compared to separately (MFR [95% confidence interval (CI)] 9.7 [8.3, 11.4] vs 12.8 [10.3, 15.9], p = 0.04). After adjustment for age and sex, the adjusted geometric mean ratio (aGMR) remained lower for those vaccinated concomitantly compared to separately (aGMR [95% CI] 0.80 [0.70, 0.92], p = 0.001). At 6-months post-vaccination, we found no statistically significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody titres (aGMR [95% CI] 1.09 [0.87, 1.35], p = 0.45). We found no statistically significant correlation between vaccine strategy with SARS-CoV-2 ELISpot count and influenza HAI titres at 1-month and 6-months post-vaccination. Interpretation Our study found that concomitant vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 and IIV has no statistically significant impacts on long-term immunogenicity. Further research is required to understand the underlying mechanisms and assess the clinical significance of reduced anti-spike antibodies in those vaccinated concomitantly. Funding Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the COVID-19 National Core Studies Immunity (NCSi) programme (MC_PC_20060).