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Browsing by Author "Mazagatos, Clara"

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  • COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection with SARS-CoV-2 BA.1/BA.2 lineages among adults and adolescents in a multicentre primary care study, Europe, December 2021 to June 2022
    Publication . Lanièce Delaunay, Charlotte; Martínez-Baz, Iván; Sève, Noémie; Domegan, Lisa; Mazagatos, Clara; Buda, Silke; Meijer, Adam; Kislaya, Irina; Pascu, Catalina; Carnahan, AnnaSara; Oroszi, Beatrix; Ilić, Maja; Maurel, Marine; Melo, Aryse; Sandonis Martín, Virginia; Trobajo-Sanmartín, Camino; Enouf, Vincent; McKenna, Adele; Pérez-Gimeno, Gloria; Goerlitz, Luise; de Lange, Marit; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Lazar, Mihaela; Latorre-Margalef, Neus; Túri, Gergő; Castilla, Jesús; Falchi, Alessandra; Bennett, Charlene; Gallardo, Virtudes; Dürrwald, Ralf; Eggink, Dirk; Guiomar, Raquel; Popescu, Rodica; Riess, Maximilian; Horváth, Judit Krisztina; Casado, Itziar; García, M. del Carmen; Hooiveld, Mariëtte; Machado, Ausenda; Bacci, Sabrina; Kaczmarek, Marlena; Kissling, Esther
    Background: Scarce European data in early 2021 suggested lower vaccine effectiveness (VE) against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineages than previous variants. Aim: We aimed to estimate primary series (PS) and first booster VE against symptomatic BA.1/BA.2 infection and investigate potential biases. Methods: This European test-negative multicentre study tested primary care patients with acute respiratory symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 in the BA.1/BA.2-dominant period. We estimated PS and booster VE among adults and adolescents (PS only) for all products combined and for Comirnaty alone, by time since vaccination, age and chronic condition. We investigated potential bias due to correlation between COVID-19 and influenza vaccination and explored effect modification and confounding by prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Among adults, PS VE was 37% (95% CI: 24–47%) overall and 60% (95% CI: 44–72%), 43% (95% CI: 26–55%) and 29% (95% CI: 13–43%) < 90, 90–179 and ≥ 180 days post vaccination, respectively. Booster VE was 42% (95% CI: 32–51%) overall and 56% (95% CI: 47–64%), 22% (95% CI: 2–38%) and 3% (95% CI: −78% to 48%), respectively. Primary series VE was similar among adolescents. Restricting analyses to Comirnaty had little impact. Vaccine effectiveness was higher among older adults. There was no signal of bias due to correlation between COVID-19 and influenza vaccination. Confounding by previous infection was low, but sample size precluded definite assessment of effect modification. Conclusion: Primary series and booster VE against symptomatic infection with BA.1/BA.2 ranged from 37% to 42%, with similar waning post vaccination. Comprehensive data on previous SARS-CoV-2 infection would help disentangle vaccine- and infection-induced immunity.
    2024-03-28Journal article Open access Show more
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in Autumn and Winter 2022 to 2023 Among Older Europeans
    Publication . Laniece Delaunay, Charlotte; Mazagatos, Clara; Martínez-Baz, Iván; Túri, Gergő; Goerlitz, Luise; Domegan, Lisa; Meijer, Adam; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Sève, Noémie; Ilić, Maja; Latorre-Margalef, Neus; Lazar, Mihaela; Maurel, Marine; Melo, Aryse; Andreu Ivorra, Blanca; Casado, Itziar; Horváth, Judit Krisztina; Buda, Silke; Bennett, Charlene; de Lange, Marit; Guiomar, Raquel; Enouf, Vincent; Mlinarić, Ivan; Samuelsson Hagey, Tove; Dinu, Sorin; Rumayor, Mercedes; Castilla, Jesús; Oroszi, Beatrix; Dürrwald, Ralf; O’Donnell, Joan; Hooiveld, Mariëtte; Gómez, Verónica; Falchi, Alessandra; Kurečić Filipović, Sanja; Dillner, Lena; Popescu, Rodica; Bacci, Sabrina; Kaczmarek, Marlena; Kissling, Esther; Gallardo García, Virtudes; Perez Morilla, Esteban; Pedrosa Corral, Irene; García Vázquez, Miriam; Milagro-Beamonte, Ana; Fernandez Ibañez, Ana; Margolles Martins, Mario; Giménez Duran, Jaume; Sastre Palou, Bartolomé; López Causapé, Carla; Viloria Raymundo, Luis Javier; Vega Alonso, Tomás; Ordax Díez, Ana; Lozano Alonso, Jose Eugenio; Rojo Bello, Silvia; Mendioroz, Jacobo; Basile, Luca; Martínez Mateo, Ana Isabel; Ruiz de Porras, Carlota; Moya Garcés, Alba; Marcos, Mª Ángeles; López Maside, Aurora; Botella Quijal, Francesc; Miralles Espi, Maite; Andreu Salete, Cristina; García Rodríguez, María del Carmen; Linares, Juan Antonio; García Comas, Luis; Barranco, Mª Isabel; Chirlaque, María-Dolores; Moreno Docón, Antonio; Ramos Marín, Violeta; Castrillejo, Daniel; Gómez Anés, Atanasio; Larrauro, Amparo; Pérez-Gimeno, Gloria; Lozano Álvarez, Marcos; Vega, Lorena; Galindo, Silvia; Puma, Tania; Monge, Susana; Pozo, Francisco; Casas, Inmaculada; Sandonis, Virginia; Vázquez-Morón, Sonia; Echeverría, Aitziber; Trobajo-Sanmartín, Camino; García Cenoz, Manuel; Ezpeleta, Guillermo; Ezpeleta, Carmen; Navascués, Ana; Krisztalovics, Katalin; Mucsányiné Juhász, Krisztina; Kristóf, Katalin; Preuss, Ute; Wedde, Marianne; Biere, Barbara; Reiche, Janine; Oh, Djin-Ye; McKenna, Adele; Connell, Jeff; Joyce, Michael; Bagheri, Mariam; Bos, Sanne; van den Brink, Sharon; Dijkstra, Frederika; Eggink, Dirk; van Gageldonk-Lafeber, Rianne; Goderski, Gabriel; Herrebrugh, Chantal; Jenniskens, Liz; Reukers, Daphne; Sluimer, John; Sprong, Tara; Teirlinck, Anne; Veldhijzen, Nienke; van der Burgh, Ruben; Kager, Cathrien; Klinkhamer, Mayra; Knottnerus, Bart; Riethof, Marloes; van den Broek, Ruud; Wortel, Safira; Machado, Ausenda; Kislaya, Irina; Aniceto, Carlos; Gomes, Licínia; Verdasca, Nuno; Henriques, Camila; Dias, Daniela; Lança, Miguel; Blanchon, Thierry; Guerrisi, Caroline; Renard, Aubane; Launay, Titouan; Masse, Shirley; Chazelle, Marie; Ferenčak, Ivana; Kaić, Bernard; Višekruna Vučina, Vesna; Čusek Adamić, Katica; Kosanović Ličina, Mirjana Lana; Lakošeljac, Danijela; Mihin Huskić, Ivana; Nonković, Diana; Carnahan, Annasara; Hansson-Pihlainen, Eva; Arvesen, Elin; Nid, Nora; Hansen, Anna-Lena; Andersson, Emmi; Dillner, Lena; Jidovu, Adrian; Timnea, Olivia Carmen; Pascu, Cătălina; Oprea, Mihaela; Bistriceanu, Iulia; Ivanciuc, Alina; Mihai, Maria Elena; VEBIS Primary Care Vaccine Effectiveness Group
    Key Points: - Question: What was the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines administered in autumn and winter 2022 to 2023 against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection among people aged 60 years or older in Europe, and how did different exposed or reference groups affect effectiveness? - Findings: In this case-control study of 9308 primary care patients at 11 European sites, within 3 months of vaccination, all COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (CVE) estimates were 29% to 39% against SARS-CoV-2 viruses and 44% to 52% against the XBB variants. All point estimates decreased by time after vaccination, with no vaccine protection after 6 months. - Meaning: Findings of this study suggest that COVID-19 vaccination campaigns should precede peaks in SARS-CoV-2 incidence and that effectiveness of new vaccines against emerging variants should be continually monitored using seasonal CVE approaches.
    2024-07-01Journal article Open access Show more
  • Early COVID‐19 XBB.1.5 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Hospitalisation Among Adults Targeted for Vaccination, VEBIS Hospital Network, Europe, October 2023–January 2024
    Publication . Antunes, Liliana; Mazagatos, Clara; Martínez‐Baz, Iván; Naesens, Reinout; Borg, Maria‐Louise; Petrović, Goranka; Fatukasi, Terra; Jancoriene, Ligita; Machado, Ausenda; Oroszi, Beatrix; Husa, Petr; Lazar, Mihaela; Dürrwald, Ralf; Howard, Jennifer; Melo, Aryse; Pérez‐Gimeno, Gloria; Castilla, Jesús; Bernaert, Eva; Džiugytė, Aušra; Makarić, Zvjezdana Lovrić; Fitzgerald, Margaret; Mickienė, Auksė; Gómez, Verónica; Túri, Gergő; Součková, Lenka; Marin, Alexandru; Tolksdorf, Kristin; Nicolay, Nathalie; Rose, Angela M.C.; European Hospital Vaccine Effectiveness Group
    We conducted a multicentre test-negative case–control study covering the period from October 2023 to January 2024 among adult patients aged ≥18 years hospitalised with severe acute respiratory infection in Europe. We provide early estimates of the effectiveness of the newly adapted XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines against PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 hospitalisation. Vaccine effectiveness was 49% overall, ranging between 69% at 14–29days and 40% at 60–105days post vaccination. The adapted XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines conferred protection against COVID-19 hospitalisation in the first 3.5months post vaccination, with VE>70% in older adults (≥65 years) up to 1month post vaccination.
    2024-08-15Journal article Open access Show more
  • Effectiveness of complete primary vaccination against COVID-19 at primary care and community level during predominant Delta circulation in Europe: multicentre analysis, I-MOVE-COVID-19 and ECDC networks, July to August 2021
    Publication . Kissling, Esther; Hooiveld, Mariëtte; Martínez-Baz, Iván; Mazagatos, Clara; William, Naoma; Vilcu, Ana-Maria; Kooijman, Marjolein N.; Ilić, Maja; Domegan, Lisa; Machado, Ausenda; de Lusignan, Simon; Lazar, Mihaela; Meijer, Adam; Brytting, Mia; Casado, Itziar; Larrauri, Amparo; Murray, Josephine-L.K.; Behillil, Sylvie; de Gier, Brechje; Mlinarić, Ivan; O’Donnell, Joan; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Tsang, Ruby; Timnea, Olivia; de Lange, Marit; Riess, Maximilian; Castilla, Jesús; Pozo, Francisco; Hamilton, Mark; Falchi, Alessandra; Knol, Mirjam J.; Kurečić Filipović, Sanja; Dunford, Linda; Guiomar, Raquel; Cogdale, Jade; Cherciu, Carmen; Jansen, Tessa; Enkirch, Theresa; Basile, Luca; Connell, Jeff; Gómez, Verónica; Sandonis Martín, Virginia; Bacci, Sabrina; Rose, Angela M.C.; Pastore Celentano, Lucia; Valenciano, Marta; I-MOVE-COVID-19 and ECDC primary care study teams
    Introduction: In July and August 2021, the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant dominated in Europe. Aim: Using a multicentre test-negative study, we measured COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic infection. Methods: Individuals with COVID-19 or acute respiratory symptoms at primary care/community level in 10 European countries were tested for SARS-CoV-2. We measured complete primary course overall VE by vaccine brand and by time since vaccination. Results: Overall VE was 74% (95% CI: 69–79), 76% (95% CI: 71–80), 63% (95% CI: 48–75) and 63% (95% CI: 16–83) among those aged 30–44, 45–59, 60–74 and ≥ 75 years, respectively. VE among those aged 30–59 years was 78% (95% CI: 75–81), 66% (95% CI: 58–73), 91% (95% CI: 87–94) and 52% (95% CI: 40–61), for Comirnaty, Vaxzevria, Spikevax and COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen, respectively. VE among people 60 years and older was 67% (95% CI: 52–77), 65% (95% CI: 48–76) and 83% (95% CI: 64–92) for Comirnaty, Vaxzevria and Spikevax, respectively. Comirnaty VE among those aged 30–59 years was 87% (95% CI: 83–89) at 14–29 days and 65% (95% CI: 56–71%) at ≥ 90 days between vaccination and onset of symptoms. Conclusions: VE against symptomatic infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant varied among brands, ranging from 52% to 91%. While some waning of the vaccine effect may be present (sample size limited this analysis to only Comirnaty), protection was 65% at 90 days or more between vaccination and onset.
    2022-05-26Journal article Open access Show more
  • Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the 2023 autumnal campaigns in Europe: Results from the VEBIS primary care test-negative design study, September 2023–January 2024
    Publication . Laniece Delaunay, Charlotte; Melo, Aryse; Maurel, Marine; Mazagatos, Clara; Goerlitz, Luise; O’Donnell, Joan; Oroszi, Beatrix; Sève, Noémie; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Martínez-Baz, Iván; Meijer, Adam; Mlinarić, Ivan; Latorre-Margalef, Neus; Lazăr, Mihaela; Pérez-Gimeno, Gloria; Dürrwald, Ralf; Bennett, Charlene; Túri, Gergő; Rameix-Welti, Marie-Anne; Guiomar, Raquel; Castilla, Jesús; Hooiveld, Mariëtte; Kurečić Filipović, Sanja; Samuelsson Hagey, Tove; Dijkstra, Frederika; Borges, Vitor; Ramos Marín, Violeta; Bacci, Sabrina; Kaczmarek, Marlena; Kissling, Esther; European primary care VE group
    In autumn 2023, European vaccination campaigns predominantly administered XBB.1.5 vaccine. In a European multicentre study, we estimated 2023 COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against laboratory-confirmed symptomatic infection at primary care level between September 2023 and January 2024. Using a testnegative case–control design, we estimated VE in the target group for COVID-19 vaccination overall and by time since vaccination. We included 1057 cases and 4397 controls. Vaccine effectiveness was 40 % (95 % CI: 26–53 %) overall, 48 % (95 % CI: 31–61 %) among those vaccinated < 6 weeks of onset and 29 % (95 % CI: 3–49 %) at 6–14 weeks. Our results suggest that COVID-19 vaccines administered to target groups during the autumn 2023 campaigns showed clinically significant effectiveness against laboratory-confirmed, medically attended symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in the 3 months following vaccination. A longer study period will allow for further variant-specific COVID-19 VE estimates, better understanding decline in VE and informing booster administration policies.
    2024-06-04Journal article Open access Show more
  • Effectiveness of the adapted bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalisation in individuals aged ≥ 60 years during the Omicron XBB lineage-predominant period: VEBIS SARI VE network, Europe, February to August, 2023
    Publication . Antunes, Liliana; Mazagatos, Clara; Martínez-Baz, Iván; Gómez, Verónica; Borg, Maria-Louise; Petrović, Goranka; Duffy, Róisín; Dufrasne, François E; Dürrwald, Ralf; Lazar, Mihaela; Jancoriene, Ligita; Oroszi, Beatrix; Husa, Petr; Howard, Jennifer; Melo, Aryse; Pozo, Francisco; Pérez-Gimeno, Gloria; Castilla, Jesús; Machado, Ausenda; Džiugytė, Aušra; Karabuva, Svjetlana; Fitzgerald, Margaret; Fierens, Sébastien; Tolksdorf, Kristin; Popovici, Silvia-Odette; Mickienė, Auksė; Túri, Gergő; Součková, Lenka; Nicolay, Nathalie; Rose, Angela MC; on behalf of the European Hospital Vaccine Effectiveness Group
    The European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorised four adapted bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for use against COVID-19 in September/October 2022: Comirnaty (BNT162b2; Pfizer-BioNTech) and Spikevax (mRNA-1273; Moderna) Original/Omicron BA.1 and Original/Omicron BA.4–5 [1]. During autumn 2022, all European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries had vaccination campaigns in place to administer a booster dose, with several countries using the adapted bivalent vaccines [2]. The Omicron-descendent XBB lineage and XBB.1.5 sub-lineage became variants of interest in March 2023 [3]. We estimated the effectiveness of the COVID-19 bivalent vaccines against hospitalisation with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection among patients aged ≥ 60 years with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) during the XBB lineage-predominant period.
    2024-01-18Journal article Open access Show more
  • Enhanced surveillance of COVID-19 in secondary care in Europe: a tale of two waves
    Publication . Mokogwu, Damilola; Hamilton, Mark; Harvey, Ciaran; Elgohari, Suzanne; Burgui, Cristina; Mazagatos, Clara; Galtier, Florence; Seyler, Lucie; Machado, Ausenda; Jonikaite, Indre; Lazar, Mihaela; Rath, Barbara; Mutch, Heather; McMahon, James; Ladbury, Georgia; Akinnawo, Ayodele; Martínez-Baz, Iván; Larrauri, Amparo; Laine, Fabrice; Fico, Albana; Demuyser, Thomas; Kislaya, Irina; Gefenaite, Giedre; Cherciu, Carmen; Harrabi, Myriam; MC Rose, Angela; I-MOVE study group
    Background: The I-MOVE-COVID-19 Consortium was established to conduct surveillance of hospitalised COVID-19 cases in nine European countries, aiming to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of severe COVID-19 in order to inform public health response. Methods: Data are pooled from 11 participating sites; two (England and Scotland) submitting national data, with the remainder being from a selection of hospitals. Descriptive analysis is performed on the pooled dataset overall and comparing data on patients admitted from week 5 to 28 of 2020 (“first wave”) vs those admitted later (“second wave”). Results: Data on 84,297 hospitalised patients were submitted for 01 February 2020 - 31 January 2021. Fifty-six percent of cases (46,907/84,193) were male and median age was 69 years. Where information was available, 44% (25,344 /57,769) patients were recorded as having at least one chronic condition. Ninety-five percent (7,868/8,270 and 90% (5,606/6,231) were reported with respiratory and febrile presentations respectively. Twenty-four percent (18,795/78,955) were admitted to intensive care units (ICU) and 26% (19,805/76,764) died in hospital (all sites); 12% (3,305/28,262) and 20% (5,454/27,066) respectively for all sites except England (where ICU reporting is mandated, biasing the dataset towards more severe outcomes as this site represents >50% of all cases). As a percentage of all hospital admissions, both ICU admissions and deaths decreased significantly between the first and second waves in both sexes and across all age- groups, apart from the over 75s. Conclusions: Results from this multicentre European surveillance system suggest that about one in 10 hospitalised COVID-19 patients are admitted to ICU and one in five have fatal outcomes. Fatality and ICU admission were lower in the second wave compared with the first.
    2021-11Conference object Restricted access Show more
  • Establishing a novel European hospital surveillance platform in response to a newly emerging infection lessons from the I-MOVE-COVID-19 hospital network
    Publication . Ladbury, Georgia; Hamilton, Mark; Harvey, Ciaran; Mutch, Heather; McMahon, James; Mokogwu, Damilola; Sadiq, Fatima; Young, Johanna; Wallace, Lesley; Murray, Josie; Lopez‑Bernal, Jamie; Andrews, Nick; Castilla, Jesús; Casado, Itziar; Larrauri, Amparo; Mazagatos, Clara; Duval, Xavier; Bino, Silvia; Demuyser, Thomas; Machado, Ausenda; Mickiene, Aukse; Lazar, Mihaela; Stavaru, Crina; Rath, Barbara; Harrabi, Myriam; Rekacewicz, Claire; Kapisyszi, Perlat; Seyler, Lucie; Gómez, Verónica; Jancoriene, Ligita; Rose, Angela
    Background: The first signal of a new infection is often severe cases presenting at hospital. Enhanced surveillance of these cases is critical to learning more about disease epidemiology and patient outcomes, but nationallevel surveillance can lack power to draw conclusions. In response to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the Influenza-Monitoring Vaccine Effectiveness (I-MOVE) network, founded in 2007, expanded to establish the I-MOVE-COVID-19 Consortium in February 2020. The Consortium’s surveillance objectives included using pooled data to describe clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 patients across Europe, in order to contribute to the knowledge base, guide patient management, and inform public health response. Methods: Eleven study sites participated in the surveillance, including 23 hospitals across six EU Member States and Albania, and hospitals nationally in England and Scotland. A standardised protocol and dataset for collection was agreed by April 2020. In England and Scotland, data were generated by linkage of routine datasets; other sites used bespoke paper or electronic questionnaires. Data were submitted, pooled and analysed quarterly. Results: Data were received regarding 84,297 COVID-19 patients hospitalised between 1 February 2020 and 31 January 2021. Three surveillance bulletins were published between September 2020 and March 2021, providing key insights into severe COVID-19 at European level. However, the unexpected, overwhelming workload at participating sites, and difficulties securing data protection and ethics permissions, delayed data submissions and presented challenges for timely analysis. Conclusions: Building on an existing network facilitated a novel European multicentre hospital surveillance system to be implemented during a pandemic; however, timeliness was nonetheless problematic. In future, processes could be streamlined e.g. by developing pre-approved template protocols with information governance and ethical approvals in place during the inter- pandemic period.
    2021-11Conference object Restricted access Show more
  • Estimated number of lives directly saved by COVID-19 vaccination programmes in the WHO European Region from December, 2020, to March, 2023: a retrospective surveillance study
    Publication . Meslé, Margaux M.I.; Brown, Jeremy; Mook, Piers; Katz, Mark A.; Hagan, José; Pastore, Roberta; Benka, Bernhard; Redlberger-Fritz, Monika; Bossuyt, Nathalie; Stouten, Veerle; Vernemmen, Catharina; Constantinou, Elisabet; Maly, Marek; Kynčl, Jan; Sanca, Ondrej; Krause, Tyra Grove; Vestergaard, Lasse Skafte; Leino, Tuija; Poukka, Eero; Gkolfinopoulou, Kassiani; Mellou, Kassiani; Tsintziloni, Maria; Molnár, Zsuzsanna; Aspelund, Gudrun; Thordardottir, Marianna; Domegan, Lisa; Kelly, Eva; O'Donell, Joan; Urdiales, Alberto-Mateo; Riccardo, Flavia; Sacco, Chiara; Bumšteinas, Viktoras; Liausediene, Rasa; Mossong, Joël; Vergison, Anne; Borg, Maria-Louise; Melillo, Tanya; Kocinski, Dragan; Pollozhani, Enkela; Meijerink, Hinta; Costa, Diana; Gomes, João Paulo; Leite, Pedro Pinto; Druc, Alina; Gutu, Veaceslav; Mita, Valentin; Lazar, Mihaela; Popescu, Rodica; Popovici, Odette; Musilová, Monika; Mrzel, Maja; Socan, Maja; Učakar, Veronika; Limia, Aurora; Mazagatos, Clara; Olmedo, Carmen; Dabrera, Gavin; Kall, Meaghan; Sinnathamby, Mary; McGowan, Graham; McMenamin, Jim; Morrison, Kirsty; Nitzan, Dorit; Widdowson, Marc-Alain; Smallwood, Catherine; Pebody, Richard; WHO European Respiratory Surveillance Network
    Background: By March, 2023, 54 countries, areas, and territories (hereafter CAT) in the WHO European Region had reported more than 2·2 million COVID-19-related deaths to the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Here, we estimated how many lives were directly saved by vaccinating adults in the WHO European Region from December, 2020, to March, 2023. Methods: In this retrospective surveillance study, we estimated the number of lives directly saved by age group, vaccine dose, and circulating variant-of-concern (VOC) period, regionally and nationally, using weekly data on COVID-19 mortality and infection, COVID-19 vaccination uptake, and SARS-CoV-2 virus characterisations by lineage downloaded from The European Surveillance System on June 11, 2023, as well as vaccine effectiveness data from the literature. We included data for six age groups (25-49 years, 50-59 years, ≥60 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥80 years). To be included in the analysis, CAT needed to have reported both COVID-19 vaccination and mortality data for at least one of the four older age groups. Only CAT that reported weekly data for both COVID-19 vaccination and mortality by age group for 90% of study weeks or more in the full study period were included. We calculated the percentage reduction in the number of expected and reported deaths. Findings: Between December, 2020, and March, 2023, in 34 of 54 CAT included in the analysis, COVID-19 vaccines reduced deaths by 59% overall (CAT range 17-82%), representing approximately 1·6 million lives saved (range 1·5-1·7 million) in those aged 25 years or older: 96% of lives saved were aged 60 years or older and 52% were aged 80 years or older; first boosters saved 51% of lives, and 60% were saved during the Omicron period. Interpretation: Over nearly 2·5 years, most lives saved by COVID-19 vaccination were in older adults by first booster dose and during the Omicron period, reinforcing the importance of up-to-date vaccination among the most at-risk individuals. Further modelling work should evaluate indirect effects of vaccination and public health and social measures.
    2024-08-07Research article Restricted access Show more
  • European all-cause excess and influenza-attributable mortality in the 2017/18 season: should the burden of influenza B be reconsidered?
    Publication . Nielsen, Jens; Vestergaard, Lasse; Richter, L.; Schmid, D.; Bustos, N.; Asikainen, T.; Trebbien, R.; Denissov, G.; Innos, K.; Virtanen, M.J.; Fouillet, A.; Lytras, T.; Gkolfinopoulou, K.; Heiden, M. an der; Grabenhenrich, L.; Uphoff, H.; Paldy, A.; Bobvos, J.; Domegan, L.; O'Donnell, J.; Scortichini, M.; de Martino, A.; Mossong, J.; England, K.; Melillo, J.; van Asten, L.; de Lange, M. MA; Tønnessen, R.; White, R.A.; Silva, Susana Pereira; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Larrauri, Amparo; Mazagatos, Clara; Farah, A.; Carnahan, A.D.; Junker, C.; Sinnathamby, M.; Pebody, R.G.; Andrews, N.; Reynolds, A.; McMenamin, J.; Brown, C.S.; Adlhoch, C.; Penttinen, P.; Mølbak, K.; Krause, T.G.
    Objectives: Weekly monitoring of European all-cause excess mortality, the EuroMOMO network, observed high excess mortality during the influenza B/Yamagata dominated 2017/18 winter season, especially among elderly. We describe all-cause excess and influenza-attributable mortality during the season 2017/18 in Europe. Methods: Based on weekly reporting of mortality from 24 European countries or sub-national regions, representing 60% of the European population excluding the Russian and Turkish parts of Europe, we estimated age stratified all-cause excess morality using the EuroMOMO model. In addition, age stratified all-cause influenza-attributable mortality was estimated using the FluMOMO algorithm, incorporating influenza activity based on clinical and virological surveillance data, and adjusting for extreme temperatures. Results: Excess mortality was mainly attributable to influenza activity from December 2017 to April 2018, but also due to exceptionally low temperatures in February-March 2018. The pattern and extent of mortality excess was similar to the previous A(H3N2) dominated seasons, 2014/15 and 2016/17. The 2017/18 overall all-cause influenza-attributable mortality was estimated to be 25.4 (95%CI 25.0-25.8) per 100,000 population; 118.2 (116.4-119.9) for persons aged 65. Extending to the European population this translates into over-all 152,000 deaths. Conclusions: The high mortality among elderly was unexpected in an influenza B dominated season, which commonly are considered to cause mild illness, mainly among children. Even though A(H3N2) also circulated in the 2017/18 season and may have contributed to the excess mortality among the elderly, the common perception of influenza B only having a modest impact on excess mortality in the older population may need to be reconsidered.
    2019-02-18Journal article Restricted access Show more