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Long-Term Changes in Vaccination Protection Against Severe Courses of COVID-19 by Non-Adapted MRNA-Based Vaccines

MCML Authors

Helmut Küchenhoff

Prof. Dr.

Principal Investigator

Statistical Consulting Unit (StaBLab)

Abstract

In Germany, the monovalent mRNA-based vaccines against older SARS-CoV-2 variants were replaced in autumn 2022 by bivalent vaccines targeting the Omicron strains BA.1 and BA.4/BA.5. In February 2023, however, a new variant—XBB and its sublineages—became the leading cause of infection, and it was not until November 2023 that XBB again caused fewer than 25% of infections. However, XBB-adapted vaccines were not licensed until 18 September 2023. Although non-adapted vaccines are acutely effective against XBB, the durability of their efficacy against XBB is still uncertain. In the research presented here we analyzed the extent to which non-adapted vaccines provided long-term protection against severe courses of COVID-19 (relative to the degree of protection immediately after vaccination) during the XBB wave.

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