Serotype-specific surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is essential for assessing the impact of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV10/13). The Pneumococcal Serotype Replacement and Distribution Estimation (PSERENADE) project aimed to evaluate the global evidence to estimate the impact of PCV10/13 by age, product, schedule, and syndrome. Here we systematically characterize and summarize the global landscape of routine serotype-specific IPD surveillance in PCV10/13-using countries and describe the subset that are included in PSERENADE. Of 138 countries using PCV10/13 as of 2018, we identified 109 with IPD surveillance systems, 76 of which met PSERENADE data collection eligibility criteria. PSERENADE received data from most (n = 63, 82.9%), yielding 240,639 post-PCV10/13 introduction IPD cases. Pediatric and adult surveillance was represented from all geographic regions but was limited from lower income and high-burden countries. In PSERENADE, 18 sites evaluated PCV10, 42 PCV13, and 17 both; 17 sites used a 3 + 0 schedule, 38 used 2 + 1, 13 used 3 + 1, and 9 used mixed schedules. With such a sizeable and generally representative dataset, PSERENADE will be able to conduct robust analyses to estimate PCV impact and inform policy at national and global levels regarding adult immunization, schedule, and product choice, including for higher valency PCVs on the horizon.
Repeated COVID-19 booster vaccination was recommended in healthcare workers (HCWs) to maintain protection. We measured the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of the second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine compared to the first booster, against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs. In a prospective cohort study among HCWs from 12 European hospitals, we collected nasopharyngeal or saliva samples at enrolment and during weekly/fortnightly follow-up between October 2022 and May 2023. We estimated rVE of the second versus first COVID-19 vaccine booster dose against SARS-CoV-2 infection, overall, by time since second booster and restricted to the bivalent vaccines only. Using Cox regression, we calculated the rVE as (1-hazard ratio)*100, adjusting for hospital, age, sex, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and at least one underlying condition. Among the 979 included HCWs eligible for a second booster vaccination, 392 (40 %) received it and 192 (20 %) presented an infection during the study period. The rVE of the second versus first booster dose was -5 % (95 %CI: -46; 25) overall, 3 % (-46; 36) in the 7-89 days after receiving the second booster dose. The rVE was 11 % (-43; 45) when restricted to the use of bivalent vaccines only. The bivalent COVID-19 could have reduced the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs by 11 %. However, we note the limitation of imprecise rVE estimates due to the proportion of monovalent vaccine used in the study, the small sample size and the study being conducted during the predominant circulation of XBB.1.5 sub-lineage. COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness studies in HCWs can provide important evidence to inform the optimal timing and the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines.
Background: European countries have included healthcare workers (HCWs) among priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination. We established a multi-country hospital network to measure the SARS-CoV-2 incidence and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: HCWs from 19 hospitals in 10 countries participated in a dynamic prospective cohort study, providing samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing at enrolment and during weekly/fortnightly follow-up. We measured the incidence during pre-Delta (2 May–6 September 2021), Delta (7 September–14 December 2021), and Omicron (15 December 2021–2 May 2023) waves. Using Cox regression, we measured the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of the first COVID-19 booster dose versus primary course alone during Delta and Omicron waves. Results: We included a total of 3015 HCWs. Participants were mostly female (2306; 79%), with a clinical role (2047; 68%), and had a median age of 44 years. The overall incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 3.01/10,000 person-days during pre-Delta, 4.21/10,000 during Delta, and 23.20/10,000 during Omicron waves. rVE was 59% (95% CI: −25; 86) during Delta and 22% (1; 39) during Omicron waves. rVE was 51% (30; 65) 7–90 days after the first booster dose during the Omicron wave. Conclusions: The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs was higher during the Omicron circulation period. The first COVID-19 vaccine booster provided additional protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to primary course vaccination when recently vaccinated <90 days. This multi-country HCW cohort study addressing infection as the main outcome is crucial for informing public health interventions for HCWs.
We measured effectiveness of nirsevimab against laboratory-confirmed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in a test-negative case-control study among children aged < 24 months hospitalised for severe acute respiratory infection in three European countries. The overall effectiveness in the 2024/25 season among 2,201 children was 79% (95% CI: 58 to 89) and 85%, 78% and 69% at < 30, 30–89 and 90–215 days since immunisation. Immunisation was effective for preventing RSV-related hospitalisation in children, but effectiveness by time since immunisation needs monitoring in future seasons.
COVID-19 vaccination recommendations include healthcare workers (HCWs). We measured COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (CVE) of the autumn 2023 dose against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in a prospective cohort study of 1,305 HCWs from 13 European hospitals. Overall CVE was 22% (95% CI: −17 to 48), 49% (95% CI: −8 to 76) before and −11% (95% CI: −84 to 34) after the start of BA.2.86/JN.1 predominant circulation. Autumn 2023 COVID-19 vaccination led to a moderate-to-low reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection incidence in HCWs. Monitoring of CVE is crucial for COVID-19 prevention.