Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 emerged in China in 2019 and has since travelled the world infecting millions. SARS-CoV-2 causes Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), that has to date taken over 4 million lives. The Kingdom of Bahrain’s vaccine roll-out has consisted of Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) and Pfizer/BioNtech’s BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNtech). Testing for SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike (S) antibodies is a useful technique in estimating an individual’s immune protection against the infection. In this study we evaluated S antibody levels by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay in 379 individuals double vaccinated with Sinopharm and 15 of whom were given a booster with the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine. Among our double vaccinated cohort, we found a spectrum of S antibody levels. Indeed, we found that a significant proportion of individuals with low S antibody levels had clinical conditions, which were mainly immune-related disorders. Furthermore, a significant proportion of individuals with low S antibody levels were above 50 years of age. Finally, we observed a significant increase in S antibody levels after the Pfizer/BioNtech booster was administered. These findings reveal that while a large proportion of Sinopharm vaccinated individuals did not develop high levels of antibodies against the S protein, a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine significantly enhances S antibody levels, revealing this “triple dose” vaccination strategy as a useful method of ensuring protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: Pfizer/BioNtech; SARS-CoV-2; Sinopharm; antibody quantification; spike protein; vaccination.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, vaccination, Spike protein, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm, antibody quantification, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Vaccine, coronavirus, vaccination, antibody, Infection, BNT162b2, China, immunoassay, Cohort, Testing, Corona, protective immunity, age, booster dose, booster, BBIBP-CorV, immune protection, Vaccination strategy, Bahrain, acute respiratory syndrome, disorders, significant increase, individual, Kingdom, clinical conditions, vaccinated individual, infecting, Administered, ENhance, develop, significantly, proportion, evaluated, were given, cause, the S protein, levels of antibody, 【제목키워드】 spike, induction, Effect,