key: cord-0884841-jeqhanxp
authors: Mousa, Mira; Albreiki, Mohammed; Alshehhi, Fatima; AlShamsi, Safiya; Marzouqi, Nada Al; Alawadi, Tayba; Alrand, Hussain; Alsafar, Habiba; Fikri, Asma
title: Similar effectiveness of the inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) and the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) against COVID-19 related hospitalizations during the Delta outbreak in the United Arab Emirates
date: 2022-03-04
journal: J Travel Med
DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taac036
sha: cdea74adfa533e26b2e7b83498c07d614b9f95be
doc_id: 884841
cord_uid: jeqhanxp

Inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm; 95% (95%CI: 94%,97%)) and the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech; 98% (95%CI: 86%,99%)) demonstrated protection against COVID-19 related hospitalizations from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. Ongoing efforts are necessary to target vaccine hesitancy and promote booster shots for protection against severe COVID-19 disease and arising variants of concern.

necessary to target vaccine hesitancy and promote booster shots for protection against severe COVID-19 disease and arising variants of concern.

Similar effectiveness of the inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) and the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) against COVID-19 related hospitalizations during the

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) implemented swift and proactive mitigation measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. While there are currently five primary approved vaccines in the UAE, inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm), which has a 78% effectiveness in preventing hospitalization due to COVID-19 infections [1] , and mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), with an effectiveness at 93% in preventing hospitalization due to COVID-19

infections [2] , are most commonly administered. Due to the successful early COVID-19 vaccination rollout, approximately 91.6% of the population has been vaccinated, which is mainly attributed to a model governance system, logistical capabilities, accessibility and delivery, digital infrastructure, and vaccine manufacturing facility [3] .

With the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant predominance across the world, emerging reports describe the breakthrough of SARS-CoV-2 infections in fully vaccinated individuals. This is particularly concerning as the original strain of SAR-CoV-2 has an R0 of 2.5, while the delta variant has an R0 of 5 [4] . We will present the impact of vaccination effectiveness on admission to hospital in patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during Delta (B.1.617.2) variant predominance in the UAE, particularly when administered in real-world conditions. Randomized community and intensive care unit facilities with targeted methods of sample collection of RT-PCR positive specimens are adopted following the EUCDC model to control misclassification and ascertainment bias [5] . Samples were collected from residents across the Northern Emirates from August-

November 2021. Viral genome sequencing was performed on all specimens to confirm the variant details following the best practices and instructions recommended by the Broad Institute's Genome Analysis ToolKit (GATK) [6] . SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status was recorded, including the specific vaccine type (BNT162b2, Pfizer-BioNTech; BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm Pfizer-BioNTech, n=2; BBIBP-CorV Sinopharm and BNT162b2 Pfizer-BioNTech, n=13). 

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

We thank the participants of the study for their generosity in providing samples to advance our understanding of COVID-19 infection. We would like to acknowledge the valuable efforts of Dr

Variants program. We acknowledge the assistance of the healthcare workers at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also grateful to Hema Viavi and Zainab Al Halwachi, who assisted in processing the samples in the laboratory. Chi-squared test of significance was used to measure associators between no vaccination and each category in the model Bivariate analysis (non-hospitalized vs. hospitalized) was used for the regression models, presented as crude OR and adjusted OR for age and sex

Vaccine effectiveness estimation was adjusted for the covariates, age, and sex, and derived from the regression model (1-OR) expressed as percentage.

Effect of 2 Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines on Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection in Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine up to 6 months in a large integrated health system in the USA: a retrospective cohort study

UAE efforts in promoting COVID-19 vaccination and building vaccine confidence

The reproductive number of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is far higher compared to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus

The COVID-19 crisis and the rise of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

From fastQ data to high-confidence variant calls: The genome analysis toolkit best practices pipeline