Immune Response to CoronaVac and Its Safety in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Compared with Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Background: Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been critical for preventing disease. Previous research showed patients with diabetes have impaired immunity. This study aimed to determine the immunity to coronavirus after CoronaVac by comparing patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and healthcare workers (HCW). Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study evaluated immune responses and safety after two doses of CoronaVac in T2D and HCW groups at Chulabhorn Hospital. The levels of total antibodies against the receptor-binding domain (anti-RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein at baseline and 4 weeks after vaccination were collected. The level of anti-RBD concentrations was reported as geometric mean concentration (GMC) and compared between groups using the geometric mean ratio (GMR). Results: 81 participants were included; 27 had T2D and 54 were HCW. After complete vaccination, anti-RBD concentrations were not significantly different between T2D (57.68 binding antibody units (BAU)/mL, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 29.08; 114.44) and HCW (72.49 BAU/mL, 95% CI = 55.77; 94.22) groups. Subgroup analysis showed the GMC of anti-RBD was significantly lower in T2D patients with dyslipidaemia (50.04 BAU/mL) than in T2D patients without dyslipidaemia (341.64 BAU/mL). Conclusions: The immune response at 4 weeks after two doses of CoronaVac did not significantly differ between patients with T2D and HCW.

COVID-19 vaccine coverage, safety, and perceptions among patients with diabetes mellitus in China: a cross-sectional study

“…also observed that fatigue (2.2% (2/89)) was the most common adverse event in DM patients who received the second dose of inactivated vaccine ( 35 ), Dechates et al. found that fatigue (11.1% (3/27)) was common side effects in DM patients who finished the full vaccination ( 24 ). However, the sample size was small and the adverse effects of DM patients who received partial and booster vaccination were not evaluated in these studies.…”

“…For the vaccinated coverage rate with at least one dose was 21.4% in India ( 20 ) and 31.0% in Sudan ( 21 ). The main reasons for vaccine hesitancy among DM patients are concern about the side effects and the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine ( 16 , 18 , 21 , 22 ), although the side effects of COVID-19 vaccine have been reported to be mild and self-limiting in DM patients ( 23 , 24 ). As a result, there are still obstacles for DM patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which brings a great challenge to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic due to a higher prevalence of DM and a lower vaccination intention.…”