WHO supported networks measuring COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

Project description

Epiconcept provides technical support on implementation of a COVID-19 and influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) networks for the WHO European Region, WHO Regional Office for Africa, and WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region including collection, collation and analysis of country level health care worker (HCW) VE and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) VE studies; and support to WHO Europe in the meta-analysis and pooling of SARI and HCW VE studies for the WHO Region

Context situation

Following the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, it was key to monitor their effectiveness in different settings, including low and middle income countries. Vaccine effectiveness results are essential to guide vaccination policies.

Project activities

Development of generic vaccine protocols effectiveness.

Epiconcept developed two generic protocols to measure the effectiveness of vaccines 1/ at preventing SARS-CoV-2-associated hospitalization (test-negative design) 2/ SARS-CoV-2 symptomatic infections among health care workers (cohort study)

Technical support to countries conducting vaccine effectiveness studies

Technical support to collect, collate and analysis of country level health care worker (HCW) vaccine effectiveness studies and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) vaccine effectiveness studies

Pooling and aggregation of data at regional level

Support the three WHO Regional Offices in the meta-analysis and pooling of SARI and HCW VE studies

Capacity building for vaccine effectiveness studies

Organizes technical workshops, trainings, develop scripts for data management, data checking and data analysis for countries conducting vaccine effectiveness studies

Scientific publications

Primary series COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among health care workers in the country of Georgia, March–December 2021

Mark A. Katz, Madelyn Yiseth Rojas Castro, Giorgi Chakhunashvili, Nazibrola Chitadze, Caleb L. Ward, C. Jason McKnight, Héloïse Lucaccioni, Iris Finci, Tamila Zardiashvili, Richard Pebody, Esther Kissling, Lia Sanodze.

Published: September 6, 2024

Available here

Primary Series and Booster Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Effectiveness in a Cohort of Healthcare Workers in Albania During a BA.1 and BA.2 Variant Period, January–May 2022

Iris Finci, Madelyn Yiseth Rojas Castro, Iris Hasibra, Jonilda Sulo, Albana Fico, Rovena Daja, Adela Vasili, Majlinda Kota, Iria Preza, Barbara Mühlemann, Christian Drosten, Richard Pebody, Kathryn E Lafond, Esther Kissling, Mark A Katz, Silvia Bino

Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 10, Issue 10, October 2023, ofad479,

Available here

COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2-confirmed hospitalization in the eastern part of the WHO European Region (2022–2023): a test-negative case-control study from the EuroSAVE network

Mark A. Katz, Sandra Cohuet, Silvia Bino, Olgha Tarkhan-Mouravi, Besfort Kryeziu, Dinagul Otorbaeva, Kristina Stavridis, Maja Stosic, Jonilda Sulo, Ann Machablishvili, Ariana Kalaveshi, Abdyldaeva Sayragul Zhusupovna, Katerina Kolevska, Dragana Plavsa, Iris Hasibra, Khatuna Zakhashvili, Zana Kaçaniku-Deva, Uzakbaeva Aynura Zarylbekovna, Elizabeta Jancheska, Verica Jovanovic, James Humphreys, Jennifer Howard, Kirill Stolyarov, Oksana Artemchuk, Marc-Alain Widdowson, Iris Finci, Angela MC Rose, Richard Pebody, Iria Presa, Tamila Zardiashvili, Isme Humolli, Kaliya Kasymbekova, Goran Kochinski, Miljan Rancic

Europe, 2024, 101095, ISSN 2666-7762

Available here

Systematic review of seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and appraisal of evidence, prior to the widespread introduction of vaccine programs in the WHO European Region, January-December 2020

Vaughan A, Duffell E, Freidl GS, Lemos DS, Nardone A, Valenciano M, Subissi L, Bergeri I, Broberg E K, Penttinen P, Pebody R, Keramarou M.

BMJ Open. 2023 Nov 6;13(11):e064240. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064240. PMID: 37931969; PMCID: PMC10632881.

Available here

The effectiveness of primary series CoronaVac vaccine in preventing COVID-19 illness: A prospective cohort study among healthcare workers in Azerbaijan, May–November 2021

Mark A. Katz, Madelyn Yiseth Rojas Castro, Nabil Seyidov, M. Trent Herdman, Samir Mehdiyev, C. Jason McKnight, Alina Guseinova, Radu Cojocaru, Jason Doran, Barbara Mühlemann, Christian Drosten, Javahir Suleymanova, Richard Pebody, Esther Kissling, Gahraman Hagverdiyev

03 October 2023

Available here

COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness estimation using the screening method Operational tool for countries.

lead-by Celine Gurry, Marta Valenciano, Sandra Cohuet

Protocol. World Health Organization; July 07, 2022.

Available here

Influenza Other Respiratory Viruses

Doran J, Seyidov N, Mehdiyev S, Gon G, Kissling E, Herdman T, Suleymanova J, Rehse APC, Pebody R, Katz MA, Hagverdiyev G. Factors associated with early uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in Azerbaijan, 2021

2022 Jul;16(4):626-631. doi: 10.1111/irv.12978. Epub 2022 Mar 22. PMID: 35318799; PMC ID: PMC9111775

COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among healthcare workers in Albania (COVE-AL): protocol for a prospective cohort study and cohort baseline data

Sridhar S, Fico A, Preza I, Hatibi I, Sulo J, Kissling E, Daja R, Ibrahim R, Lemos D, Rubin-Smith J, Schmid A, Vasili A, Valenciano M, Jorgensen P, Pebody R, Lafond KE, Katz MA, Bino S.

BMJOpen. 2022 Mar 23;12(3):e057741. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057741. PMID: 35321895; PMCID: PMC8943479.

Cohort study to measure COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among health workers in the WHO European Region: guidance document

World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. 2021

Available here

Estimating COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against severe acute respiratory infections (‎SARI)‎ hospitalizations associated with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2: an evaluation using the test-negative design: guidance document

World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. 2021

Available here

Evaluation of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

World Health Organization

interim guidance, March 17, 2021

Available here

Find all our scientific publications

WHO supported networks measuring COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

Project description

Context situation

Project activities

Development of generic vaccine protocols effectiveness.

Technical support to countries conducting vaccine effectiveness studies

Pooling and aggregation of data at regional level

Capacity building for vaccine effectiveness studies

Scientific publications

Central purchasing referencing

Health data hosting

Commitment and ethics