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Safety and immunogenicity of the second and third doses of COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents with rheumatic diseases
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  • Merav Heshin-Bekenstein,
  • Amit Ziv,
  • Natasa Toplak,
  • Siman Lazauskas,
  • Danielle Kadishevich,
  • Efrat Ben-Nun Yaari,
  • Adi Miller-Barmak,
  • Yonatan Butbul Aviel,
  • Esther Saiag,
  • Sara Pel,
  • Ori Elkayam,
  • Yosef Uziel,
  • Victoria Furer
Merav Heshin-Bekenstein
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Amit Ziv
Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine
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Natasa Toplak
Univerzitetni klinicni center Ljubljana Pediatricna klinika
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Siman Lazauskas
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
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Danielle Kadishevich
Meir Medical Center
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Efrat Ben-Nun Yaari
Meir Medical Center
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Adi Miller-Barmak
Rambam Health Care Campus
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Yonatan Butbul Aviel
Rambam Health Care Campus
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Esther Saiag
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
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Sara Pel
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
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Ori Elkayam
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
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Yosef Uziel
Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine
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Victoria Furer
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
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Abstract

Background: To explore the long-term safety and dynamics of the immune response induced by the second and third doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents with juvenile-onset autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD) compared with healthy controls. Methods: This international prospective study included adolescents with AIIRD and controls vaccinated with two (AIIRD n=124; controls n=80) or three (AIIRD n=64; controls n=30) doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, evaluated for vaccine side-effects, disease activity, COVID-19 breakthrough infection rates and severity, and anti-spike S1/S2 IgG antibody titres in a sample from both groups. Results: The vaccination safety profile was favourable, with most patients reporting mild or no side-effects. The rheumatic disease remained stable among 98% and 100% after the second and third doses, respectively. The two-dose vaccine induced comparable seropositivity rates among patients (91%) and controls (100%), (p=0.55), which declined within 6 months to 87% and 100%, respectively (p=0.3), and increased to 100% in both groups, after the third vaccine dose. The overall post-vaccination COVID-19 infection rate was comparable between patients and controls, 47.6% (n=59) and 35% (n=28), respectively; p=0.5278, with most infections occurring during the Omicron surge. In relation to the last vaccination, time-to-COVID-19 infection was similar between patients and controls, at a median of 5.5 vs. 5.2 months, respectively (log-rank p=0.1555). Conclusion: The safety profile of three doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine was excellent, with an adequate humoral response and similar efficacy among patients and controls. These results support the recommendation for vaccinating adolescents with juvenile-onset AIIRD against COVID-19.