Møller Mie, Friis-Hansen Lennart, Kirkby Nikolai, Dilling-Hansen Christine, Andersson Mikael, Vedsted Peter, Mølbak Kåre, Koch Anders
Institue of Health and Nature, University of Greenland, Nuuk, Greenland.
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Commun Med (Lond). 2024 Sep 6;4(1):173. doi: 10.1038/s43856-024-00602-y.
In Greenland, the COVID-19 pandemic was characterised by a late onset of community transmission and a low impact on the healthcare system, hypothesised as being partly due to a high uptake of vaccinations. To underpin this description, we aimed to assess the SARS-CoV-2 immune response post-vaccination in a Greenlandic population.
In this observational cohort study, we included 430 adults in Greenland who had received a complete two-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination at enrolment. The total plasma SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein Ig antibodies (S-Ab) induced by either the BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccine, was measured up to 11 months after the second vaccine dose. In addition, total salivary S-Abs were examined in 107 participants, and the T-cell response to the spike glycoprotein was assessed in 78 participants out of the entire study cohort.
Here we demonstrate that two months after the second vaccine dose, 96% of participants have protective plasma S-Ab levels. By 11 months, 98% have protective levels, with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection particularly enhancing S-Ab levels by 37% (95% CI 25-51%). Among individuals aged 60 years and older, we observe a 21% (95% CI 7-33%) reduction in antibody response. Total salivary S-Ab levels are detectable in all participants and significantly correlate with plasma levels. Moreover, all participants exhibit a robust SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell response 11 months post-primary vaccination.
Our findings show that Greenlanders exhibit a robust and lasting immune response, both humoral and cellular, comparable to other population groups up to at least 11 months after the second vaccine dose. These results corroborate the hypothesis that vaccines contributed to the mild impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greenlandic population.
在格陵兰岛，新冠疫情的特点是社区传播出现较晚，对医疗系统的影响较小，据推测部分原因是疫苗接种率较高。为支持这一描述，我们旨在评估格陵兰人群接种疫苗后对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的免疫反应。
在这项观察性队列研究中，我们纳入了430名格陵兰成年人，他们在入组时已完成两剂SARS-CoV-2疫苗接种。在第二次接种疫苗后长达11个月的时间里，测量了由BNT162b2或mRNA-1273疫苗诱导的血浆中SARS-CoV-2刺突糖蛋白Ig抗体（S-Ab）的总量。此外，在107名参与者中检测了唾液中S-Ab的总量，并在整个研究队列中的78名参与者中评估了对刺突糖蛋白的T细胞反应。
我们在此证明，在第二次接种疫苗两个月后，96%的参与者血浆S-Ab水平具有保护性。到11个月时，98%的参与者达到保护水平，既往感染过SARS-CoV-2尤其使S-Ab水平提高了37%（95%置信区间25-51%）。在60岁及以上的个体中，我们观察到抗体反应降低了21%（95%置信区间7-33%）。所有参与者的唾液S-Ab总量均可检测到，且与血浆水平显著相关。此外，所有参与者在初次接种疫苗11个月后均表现出强烈的SARS-CoV-2特异性T细胞反应。
我们的研究结果表明，格陵兰人在第二次接种疫苗后至少11个月内，表现出了强大且持久的体液免疫和细胞免疫反应，与其他人群相当。这些结果证实了疫苗接种有助于减轻新冠疫情对格陵兰人群造成的影响这一假设。
