High Vaccine Efficacy in Danish COVID-19 Vaccination Program

Strategic Insights -

The Danish vaccination program using the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine has shown encouraging results in protecting against COVID-19, particularly after the second dose. A retrospective study of over 39,000 care home residents and over 331,000 healthcare workers (HCWs) found that the vaccine efficacy (VE) was 52% and 46% in care home residents and HCWs, respectively, seven days after the second dose. The VE went up to 64% and 90% in these groups after this period.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Danish vaccination program used the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, which is built on the mRNA platform and encodes the viral spike antigen.
  • The first round of vaccination prioritized residents of long-term care facilities and HCWs, with over 95% of care home residents receiving the first dose and 86% receiving the second dose between December 27, 2020, and February 18, 2021.
  • Among HCWs, about 28% and 24% received the first and second doses during this period.
  • The vaccine efficacy (VE) was 52% and 46% in care home residents and HCWs, respectively, seven days after the second dose.
  • The VE went up to 64% and 90% in these groups after this period.
  • The study's findings suggest that the two-dose schedule with BNT162b2 is crucial for achieving high vaccine efficacy.
  • The elderly, who are at high risk of severe COVID-19, showed a VE of 64% after two doses, indicating the vaccine's utility in protecting this vulnerable group.

Statistics:

  • Over 39,000 care home residents and over 331,000 HCWs were included in the study.
  • 95.1% of care home residents received the first dose of the vaccine between December 27, 2020, and February 18, 2021.
  • 86% of care home residents received the second dose during the same period.
  • 28% and 24% of HCWs received the first and second doses, respectively, during the same period.
  • The VE was 52% and 46% in care home residents and HCWs, respectively, seven days after the second dose.
  • The VE went up to 64% and 90% in these groups after this period.
  • The study's findings indicate that the vaccine efficacy is significantly higher after two doses than after one dose.

Sources:

  • Preprint research paper posted on the medRxiv* server: "Estimating the vaccine efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine in long-term care facility residents and healthcare workers in Denmark: A retrospective study".
  • Study authors: [Not explicitly mentioned in the original text]
  • Publisher: [Not explicitly mentioned in the original text]
  • Date: [Not explicitly mentioned in the original text]
  • SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info): 2021.