In the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population, including those on dialysis or kidney transplant recipients, COVID-19 vaccines protect against hospitalization and early mortality, investigators confirm.
Using electronic medical records from Hong Kong, investigators compared outcomes among 27,129 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine recipients, 47,640 CoronaVac inactivated virus vaccine recipients (receiving 2 doses), and 28,374 nonvaccinated patients. All individuals had an estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2.
The BNT162b2 group had a significant 64% lower risk for COVID-19 hospitalization and 86% lower risk for COVID-19 death compared with the unvaccinated group, Esther Wai Yin Chan, MClinPharm, PhD, of the University of Hong Kong in China and colleagues reported in Kidney International. The CoronaVac group had a significant 44% lower risk for COVID-19 hospitalization and a 70% lower risk for COVID-19 death compared with the unvaccinated group.
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Compared with the unvaccinated group, recipients of the BNT162b2 vaccine had a significant 38% reduction in the risk for COVID-19 infection. Recipients of the CoronaVac vaccine experienced a borderline significant 4% reduction in infection risk.
Patients younger than 65 years, on dialysis, or transplanted were particularly prone to COVID-19 infection. According to the investigators, these patients likely had more social contact due to lifestyle or medically necessary encounters.
With respect to safety, the investigators examined adverse events of special interest and found no increased risks after use of COVID-19 vaccines in the CKD population.
“With these findings, vaccination is strongly encouraged for individuals with CKD,” Dr Chan’s team concluded.
They could not assess the waning of vaccine protection over time or vaccine effectiveness against specific COVID-19 variants, so future research is warranted.
Disclosure: Some study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.
Reference
Cheng FWT, Fan M, Wong CKH, et al. The effectiveness and safety of mRNA (BNT162b2) and inactivated (CoronaVac) COVID-19 vaccines among individuals with chronic kidney diseases. Kidney Int. 2022 Oct;102(4):922-925. doi:10.1016/j.kint.2022.07.018
