Effectiveness of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine among French nursing home residents

Abstract (PubMed)

Background: COVID-19 vaccination campaigns are in progress in Europe, but effectiveness against novel variants is poorly understood. Methods: We conducted a nationwide case-control study using France's national SI-DEP database to assess effectiveness of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against symptomatic COVID-19 caused by the original strain, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), and B.1.351 (Beta) variants among nursing home residents. Results: Vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was 88% (95% CI 79–93) for original strain, 86% (95% CI 77–92) for B.1.1.7, and 77% (95% CI 61–87) for B.1.351. Conclusions: BNT162b2 vaccine showed high effectiveness against all three strains, with slightly reduced but still substantial protection against the Beta variant.