The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has imposed an enormous disease burden worldwide, with more than 159 million cases and approximately 3.3 million deaths reported as of May 10, 2021.1 Covid-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and the severity ranges from mild symptoms to life-threatening disease.2 Older age and underlying conditions substantially increase the case fatality rate.3,4 Nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing, face masks, and contact tracing, have so far been the mainstay of health policy strategies to reduce viral spread and limit demands on health care.5,6 New Covid-19 vaccines are beginning to change this situation. On December 2, 2020, the first vaccine tested in a large, randomized clinical trial was approved in the United Kingdom,7,8 although some countries began vaccinations before clinical results were available. Several effective vaccines against Covid-19 have been developed and approved in record time,8-12 and numerous new vaccines are in the final stages of clinical trials.13
Mass vaccination campaigns to prevent Covid-19 are now occurring in many countries.14 Preliminary results of the effectiveness of other Covid-19 vaccines across different populations have been published, including studies at the national level in Israel15 and Scotland16 and studies involving essential frontline workers at specific locations in the United States.17-19 Estimates of vaccine effectiveness in the prevention of Covid-19 are essential because they reflect real-world challenges, such as logistics, cold chains, vaccination schedules, and follow-up, and also involve more diverse populations than those selected in randomized clinical trials, such as older or immunocompromised persons or those with coexisting conditions. Despite being the standard for assessing vaccine efficacy, phase 3 clinical trials have some limitations, such as restrictive inclusion criteria and implementation under strict experimental conditions that may not resemble a mass vaccination rollout.20 Thus, large observational studies to estimate the effectiveness of new vaccines in real-world settings are an essential complement to randomized, controlled trials.21
Existing vaccine-effectiveness estimates have focused on the BNT162b2 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine (Pfizer–BioNTech), the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (Oxford–AstraZeneca), and the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna).15-19 Several countries are conducting vaccination campaigns with the use of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) amid a record surge of Covid-19 cases worldwide.1,13 A total of 22 primarily low- and middle-income countries have approved the CoronaVac vaccine for emergency use. Despite its global importance, limited evidence is available on the efficacy or effectiveness of this vaccine.
Phase 1–2 trials of the CoronaVac vaccine22 were carried out in China among participants 18 to 59 years of age23 and in participants 60 years of age or older.24 The findings suggested that the vaccine was safe and immunogenic in most patients 14 days after receipt of the second dose. Phase 3 clinical trials are taking place in Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, and Turkey (ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT04456595. opens in new tab, NCT04651790. opens in new tab, NCT04508075. opens in new tab, and NCT04582344. opens in new tab, respectively). Efficacy results from these trials have not yet been published, but reported efficacy estimates from the manufacturers with regard to mild Covid-19 have varied substantially among the sites: 50.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35.6 to 62.2) in Brazil, 65.3% in Indonesia, and 83.5% (95% CI, 65.4 to 92.1) in Turkey.25-28 In addition, preliminary estimates from an observational study involving vaccinated health care workers (from a preprint server) suggested that at least one dose of the CoronaVac vaccine was 49.6% (95% CI, 11.3 to 71.4) effective against Covid-19 in Manaus, Brazil, a location where the P.1 (or gamma) variant, which is considered to be a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,29 is predominant (occurred in approximately 75% of the test results).30 No estimates of the effectiveness of the CoronaVac vaccine with regard to preventing Covid-19 in the general population or in persons who have received full vaccination are publicly available.
On February 2, 2021, Chile began a mass vaccination campaign with the CoronaVac vaccine (Section S1 in the Supplementary Appendix, available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org).31 The Public Health Institute of Chile approved the CoronaVac vaccine for emergency use on January 20, 2021; the vaccine is to be administered in a two-dose schedule, with doses separated by 28 days. The vaccination campaign prioritized older adults, beginning at 90 years of age or older; frontline health care workers; and persons with underlying conditions. The government relied on the existing health care infrastructure to roll the vaccines out to the eligible population where they lived. Vaccination rollout was organized by means of a publicly available national schedule that assigned specific dates to eligible groups. Eligible persons needed to show up at the nearest vaccination site with their identification; they did not need to make an appointment (Figs. S3 and S4). A national immunization registry keeps track of the vaccination schedules. As of May 10, 2021, the Ministry of Health has administered 13.98 million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine (7.62 million first doses and 6.36 million second doses).32 Vaccine introduction and scale-up of the campaign occurred during a period with the highest incidence rates of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in Chile.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2107715?fbclid=IwAR1MVcINJ9CEXG7udwWz84sWpPMfDM5HMolY-B5eeqtWokbPG_kapA_w8xM
Créditos: Comité científico Covid
