Effectiveness of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron BA.5 bivalent vaccine on symptoms in healthcare workers with BA.5 infection

Abstract

Background

The infection status of healthcare workers (HCWs) with coronavirus disease 2019 has become a major concern worldwide. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of the number of vaccine doses on symptoms after BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccination in HCWs.

Methods

We analyzed the occupation, route of infection, symptoms, and vaccination history of all HCWs who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and worked in our hospital from November 2020 to March 2023. A logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between the presence of BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccination and symptoms.

Results

During the observation period, 531 HCWs became infected. Of these, 72 % were women, with a median age of 30 years. Nurses accounted for 57 % of the infected cases, and many of the infection routes were from family members. We examined the relationship between symptoms in 352 HCWs infected with the Omicron BA.5* variant and the number of vaccine doses. As the number of vaccine doses increased, the rate of fever decreased, while symptoms such as a runny nose and sore throat tended to increase. The logistic regression analysis showed that the rate of fever tended to decrease (odds ratio = 0.52, 95 % confidence interval: 0.26–1.01, p = 0.056) and that of a runny nose increased (odds ratio = 3.68, 95 % confidence interval: 1.17–10.6, p = 0.018) after BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccination.

Conclusion

This study shows that fever is reduced and mild symptoms are increased after BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccination in BA.5-infected HCWs. This result highlights the potential effectiveness of tailored vaccination strategies in the management of emerging COVID-19 variants.