Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Department of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Common Community Commission, Brussels-Capital Region, 1040 Brussels, Belgium.
Viruses. 2022 Jun 22;14(7):1359. doi: 10.3390/v14071359.
In view of the grave situation during the first two waves of SARS-CoV-2 virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2), nursing homes (NHs) were prioritised for vaccination once vaccines became available in Belgium. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) vaccination campaign on COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions, and deaths among residents living in Belgian NHs. All 1545 Belgian NHs were invited to participate in a COVID-19 surveillance program. In Belgium, before vaccination, COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates were driven by the situation in the NHs. Shortly after the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and later the booster campaign, the number of hospital admissions and deaths among NH residents dropped, while clear peaks could be observed among the general population. The impact of vaccination on virus circulation was less effective than expected. However, due to the high vaccination coverage, NH residents remain well protected against hospital admission and death due to COVID-19 more than one year after being vaccinated.
鉴于 SARS-CoV-2 病毒（严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2）前两波疫情的严峻形势，比利时一旦有疫苗可用，便优先为养老院（NHs）接种疫苗。本研究旨在评估 COVID-19（2019 年冠状病毒病）疫苗接种运动对居住在比利时 NHs 的居民的 COVID-19 病例、住院和死亡的影响。所有 1545 家比利时 NHs 均受邀参加 COVID-19 监测计划。在比利时，疫苗接种前，NHs 的情况决定了 COVID-19 的发病率和死亡率。在 COVID-19 疫苗接种运动和后来的加强针运动之后，NH 居民的住院和死亡人数有所下降，而在普通人群中则可以明显观察到高峰。疫苗接种对病毒传播的影响不如预期的有效。然而，由于高疫苗接种率，接种疫苗一年多后，NH 居民仍然很好地免受 COVID-19 导致的住院和死亡的影响。
