Immune profile of healthcare professionals six months after vaccination or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Angola

Cruz S Sebastião; Euclides Sacomboio; Ngiambudulu M Francisco; Edson K Cassinela; António Mateus; Zinga David; Joana Paixão; Jocelyne Neto de Vasconcelos; Joana Morais

doi:10.1002/hsr2.1058

Immune profile of healthcare professionals six months after vaccination or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Angola

Health Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 11;6(1):e1058. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1058. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Cruz S Sebastião^{1

2

3}, Euclides Sacomboio^{1

3

4}, Ngiambudulu M Francisco¹, Edson K Cassinela^{4

5}, António Mateus¹, Zinga David¹, Joana Paixão¹, Jocelyne Neto de Vasconcelos^{1

2}, Joana Morais¹

Affiliations

¹ Instituto Nacional de Investigação em Saúde (INIS) Luanda Angola.
² Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Angola (CISA) Caxito Angola.
³ Instituto de Ciências da Saúde (ICISA) Universidade Agostinho Neto (UAN) Luanda Angola.
⁴ Centro de Estudos, Investigação Científica e Pós-graduação (CEIP) Universidade Privada de Angola (UPRA) Luanda Angola.
⁵ Centro Nacional de Investigação Científica (CNIC) Luanda Angola.

Abstract

Background and aims: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a public health concern. Until 2021, more than 2 million cumulative deaths were reported worldwide. Herein, we investigated the immune profile of healthcare professionals 6 months after vaccination or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Angola.

Methods: This was a prospective study conducted with 1068 Angolan healthcare professionals between August and December 2021. Participants were screened for the presence of IgG and IgM against SARS-CoV-2.

Results: About 9.6% and 98.2% of the participants had prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 or vaccination against it, respectively. Participants aged between 20 and 40 years (11.2%), female (12.4%), with higher educational level (12.8%), from Luanda (60.3%), and nonhealthcare professionals (8.1%) were the most affected by the SARS-CoV-2. Gender, education, and local residence were related to SARS-CoV-2 exposure (p < 0.05). About 7.3% and 98% of the exposed population developed IgM and IgG after 3 months of exposure, respectively. The AstraZeneca vaccine was the most used, followed by the Jonhson & Johnson and Sputinik. Almost all (98%) participants vaccinated with AstraZeneca had immunity >3 months. Individuals who received only the first dose regardless of the type of vaccine had a higher immunity duration (>3 months) than those who received two doses. For individuals who received the Sputnik and Johnson, the average immunity was lower (<3 months), especially among those who were older (over 40 years old) and exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

Conclusion: We observed a high adherence rate to vaccination and a long immunity duration. The immunity duration depended on the type of vaccine. Further studies on the immunity profile in the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2 must be carried out in the general population from Angola to assess antibody-waning periods.

Keywords: Angola; Luanda; SARS‐CoV‐2; healthcare professionals; immunity; vaccine.