Effectiveness over time of a primary series of the original monovalent COVID-19 vaccines in adults in the United States
With data from 2 US claims databases (Optum, CVS Health) supplemented with Immunization Information System COVID-19 vaccine records, we evaluated overall and time-specific vaccine effectiveness (VE) of an initial primary series for 3 monovalent COVID-19 vaccines-BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and JNJ-7836735-in adults (18-64 years). Vaccinated individuals were matched to unvaccinated comparators, and we estimated VE against any medically diagnosed COVID-19 and hospital/emergency department (ED)-diagnosed COVID-19. Additionally, we estimated VE by era of predominant variants, in subgroups, and compared across vaccine brands. The cohorts consisted of 341,097 (Optum) and 1,151,775 (CVS Health) matched pairs for BNT162b2; 201,604 (Optum) and 651,545 (CVS Health) for mRNA-1273; and 49,285 (Optum) and 149,813 (CVS Health) for JNJ-7836735. The study period began 11 December 2020 (date of first COVID-19 vaccine availability in the US) and ended 15 January 2022 in Optum and 31 March 2022 in CVS Health. Summary VE estimates from meta-analysis against hospital/ED-diagnosed COVID-19 were: BNT162b2, 77% (95% CI, 76%-78%); mRNA-1273, 84% (95% CI, 83%-85%), JNJ-7836735 66% (95% CI, 63%-68%). VE estimates were higher for hospital/ED-diagnosed COVID-19 than for medically diagnosed COVID-19, and VE estimates were highest in adults receiving mRNA-1273 for both outcomes. VE was sustained for approximately 7 months for medically diagnosed and up to 9 months for hospital/ED-diagnosed COVID-19. VE differed by brand and variant era. Ongoing real-world surveillance of COVID-19 vaccines using robust data sources and methodology is needed as new variants and recommendations for updated vaccines have evolved.
Authors
- Ron Parambi
- John D. Seeger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8020-3144)
- Steven A. Anderson
- Tainya C. Clarke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8085-5601)
- Michael Miller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1679-2095)
- Jie Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9062-4997)
- Lisa B. Weatherby
- Sylvia Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0263-0343)
- Rachel P. Ogilvie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7643-7175)
- Mary S. Anthony (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5201-1794)
- Michael Wernecke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9553-3122)
- J. Bradley Layton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0994-5820)
- Yixin Jiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1767-4680)
- Jennifer Song
- Lauren Peetluk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5302-2033)
- Cheryl N. McMahill‐Walraven (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3765-6527)
- Christine Bui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3568-3097)
- Jessica Rose Hervol (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8358-8000)
- Hui‐Lee Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4825-0426)
- Joann F. Gruber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2831-9315)
- An‐Chi Lo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5244-4138)
- Morgan M. Richey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4533-8948)
- Yoganand Chillarige (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8020-6839)
- Elizabeth Bell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6070-075X)
- Patricia C. Lloyd
- Kandace L. Amend (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8329-1522)
- Richard A. Forshee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5805-2837)
- Djeneba Audrey Djibo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3378-0691)
- Dóra Illei
- Grace Wenya Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1184-2305)
- Azadeh Shoaibi
Institutions
- NatureServe (US)
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (US)
- RTI International (US)
- New England College of Optometry (US)
- Acumen (United States) (US)
- RTI Health Solutions (US)
- Campbell Collaboration (NO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS ONE
- Published
- 2025-05-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320434
- Primary Topic
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration