tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
BMJ Open
. 2024 Oct 14;14(10):e085388.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085388. Cohort profile: an observational population-based cohort study on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in the Netherlands - the VAccine Study COVID-19 (VASCO)
Anne J Huiberts[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Christina E Hoeve[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marjolein N Kooijman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hester E de Melker[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Susan Jm Hahné[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Diederick E Grobbee[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rob van Binnendijk[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gerco den Hartog[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janneke Hhm van de Wijgert[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Susan van den Hof[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mirjam J Knol[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Purpose: VAccine Study COVID-19 (VASCO) is a cohort study with a 5-year follow-up that was initiated when COVID-19 vaccination was introduced in the Netherlands. The primary objective is to estimate real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE) of COVID-19 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Netherlands, overall and in four subpopulations defined by age and medical risk.
Participants: The cohort consists of 45 547 community-dwelling participants aged 18-85 years who were included irrespective of their COVID-19 vaccination status or intention to get vaccinated. A medical risk condition is present in 4289 (19.8%) of 21 679 individuals aged 18-59 years, and in 9135 (38.3%) of 23 821 individuals aged 60-85 years. After 1 year of follow-up, 5502 participants had dropped out of the study. At inclusion and several times after inclusion, participants are asked to take a self-collected fingerprick blood sample in which nucleoprotein and spike protein receptor binding domain-specific antibody concentrations are assessed. Participants are also asked to complete monthly digital questionnaires in the first year, and 3 monthly in years 2-5, including questions on sociodemographic factors, health status, COVID-19 vaccination, SARS-CoV-2-related symptoms and testing results, and behavioural responses to COVID-19 measures.
Findings to date: VASCO data have been used to describe VE against SARS-CoV-2 infection of primary vaccination, first and second booster and bivalent boosters, the impact of hybrid immunity on SARS-CoV-2 infection and VE against infectiousness. Furthermore, data were used to describe antibody response following vaccination and breakthrough infections and to investigate the relation between antibody response and reactogenicity.
Future plans: VASCO will be able to contribute to policy decision-making regarding future COVID-19 vaccination. Furthermore, VASCO provides an infrastructure to conduct further studies and to respond to changes in vaccination campaigns and testing policy, and new virus variants.
Trial registration number: NL9279.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 Infection; Vaccination.
. 2024 Oct 14;14(10):e085388.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085388. Cohort profile: an observational population-based cohort study on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in the Netherlands - the VAccine Study COVID-19 (VASCO)
Anne J Huiberts[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Christina E Hoeve[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marjolein N Kooijman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hester E de Melker[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Susan Jm Hahné[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Diederick E Grobbee[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rob van Binnendijk[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gerco den Hartog[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janneke Hhm van de Wijgert[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Susan van den Hof[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mirjam J Knol[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39401962
- DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085388
Purpose: VAccine Study COVID-19 (VASCO) is a cohort study with a 5-year follow-up that was initiated when COVID-19 vaccination was introduced in the Netherlands. The primary objective is to estimate real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE) of COVID-19 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Netherlands, overall and in four subpopulations defined by age and medical risk.
Participants: The cohort consists of 45 547 community-dwelling participants aged 18-85 years who were included irrespective of their COVID-19 vaccination status or intention to get vaccinated. A medical risk condition is present in 4289 (19.8%) of 21 679 individuals aged 18-59 years, and in 9135 (38.3%) of 23 821 individuals aged 60-85 years. After 1 year of follow-up, 5502 participants had dropped out of the study. At inclusion and several times after inclusion, participants are asked to take a self-collected fingerprick blood sample in which nucleoprotein and spike protein receptor binding domain-specific antibody concentrations are assessed. Participants are also asked to complete monthly digital questionnaires in the first year, and 3 monthly in years 2-5, including questions on sociodemographic factors, health status, COVID-19 vaccination, SARS-CoV-2-related symptoms and testing results, and behavioural responses to COVID-19 measures.
Findings to date: VASCO data have been used to describe VE against SARS-CoV-2 infection of primary vaccination, first and second booster and bivalent boosters, the impact of hybrid immunity on SARS-CoV-2 infection and VE against infectiousness. Furthermore, data were used to describe antibody response following vaccination and breakthrough infections and to investigate the relation between antibody response and reactogenicity.
Future plans: VASCO will be able to contribute to policy decision-making regarding future COVID-19 vaccination. Furthermore, VASCO provides an infrastructure to conduct further studies and to respond to changes in vaccination campaigns and testing policy, and new virus variants.
Trial registration number: NL9279.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 Infection; Vaccination.