Purpose: Effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines is influenced by SARS-CoV-2 variant and history of prior infection. Data regarding protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection among adolescents, accounting for prior infection and time since vaccination, are limited.
Methods: SARS-CoV-2 testing and immunization data from the Kentucky Electronic Disease Surveillance System and the Kentucky Immunization Registry, August-September 2021 (Delta predominance) and January 2022 (Omicron Predominance) among adolescents aged 12-17 years, were used to assess association of SARS-CoV-2 infection with mRNA vaccination and prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.
In a cross-sectional study of 89 736 adolescents in Kentucky, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination provided an estimated protection against infection of 81% when the highly transmissible Delta variant was predominant. Vaccination provided added benefit to those with a history of prior infection. These findings support the recommendation that all adolescents receive SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: As vaccine supply and access remain limited in many parts of the world, understanding the duration of protection from reinfection after natural infection is important.
Methods: Distinct individuals testing positive and negative for SARS-CoV-2 between March 6, 2020, and August 31, 2020, in Kentucky, USA, were identified using the Kentucky National Electronic Disease Surveillance System. Individuals were followed for occurrence of a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 from 91 days after their initial test result through December 31, 2020.
Although laboratory evidence suggests that antibody responses following COVID-19 vaccination provide better neutralization of some circulating variants than does natural infection (1,2), few real-world epidemiologic studies exist to support the benefit of vaccination for previously infected persons. This report details the findings of a case-control evaluation of the association between vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in Kentucky during May-June 2021 among persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020. Kentucky residents who were not vaccinated had 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe obesity paradox postulates that increased body mass index (BMI) is protective in certain patient populations. We aimed to investigate the association of BMI and different weight classes with outcomes in hospitalised patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This cohort study is a secondary data analysis of the University of Louisville Pneumonia Study database, a prospective study of hospitalised adult patients with CAP from June, 2014, to May, 2016, in Louisville, KY, USA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity has been shown to have a paradoxical benefit in a number of conditions, but the long-term effects in obesity after chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation is still unclear. In this study, the effects of obesity on short- and long-term outcomes after a COPD exacerbation were evaluated. This was a secondary analysis of the Rapid Empiric Treatment with Oseltamivir Study (RETOS): a prospective, randomized, unblinded clinical trial.
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