Coronavirus pandemic: monitoring the post-vaccination Covid immune response in the population. This is the objective of two studies planned by the Higher Institute of Health. The first, in collaboration with the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (Sigg), is dedicated to the elderly living in the RSA. The second is aimed at a larger population, consisting of approx two thousand people.
Meanwhile, as regards the contagion curve in our country, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health, the new positive cases recorded in the last 24 hours are 13.846 (yesterday 20.159). The new deaths are 386 (yesterday 300). The discharged healed are 32.720 (yesterday 13.526); altogether the positive cases are 563.067 (yesterday 571.672). The swabs carried out are 169.196 (yesterday 277.086); in intensive care there are 3510 hospitalized (3.448 yesterday). And, again, they remain in home isolation 531.508 people affected by the pandemic (yesterday they were 540.740).
Immune response after vaccination
Regarding the post-vaccination immune response, the larger population study will include subjects who have been given different types of vaccines. The monitoring will involve a sample of two thousand individuals for each of the vaccines currently available in the country and will include two groups. Relatively healthy subjects between 30 and 65 years of age and subjects over the age of 65 frail (i.e. suffering from at least two comorbidities). The study will allow to monitor the antibody response induced by vaccination, as well as its duration.
The antibody dosage will be performed 1, 6 and 12 months after vaccination. Cell-mediated response will also be measured one year after vaccination. The data collected will provide information on the quantity and quality of the immune response induced by the different vaccines in frail adults and elderly people. And, also at the outset, on the effectiveness in protecting against infection and disease. The study will be coordinated by the Infectious Diseases Department of the ISS and will involve 8 hospital-university centers located throughout the country.
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