The effectiveness and safety of mRNA (BNT162b2) and inactivated (CoronaVac) COVID-19 vaccines among individuals with chronic kidney diseases

Abstract

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a serious threat to individuals with underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD). People with CKD are immunocompromised and therefore result in poorer outcomes including increased risk of hospitalization and mortality after COVID-19.1 Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, current data on the vaccine efficacy in individuals with CKD are limited to surrogate endpoints such as antibody titers. As a result, a dedicated study is required to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines for the CKD population. In Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, a territory-wide vaccination program with BNT162b2 (Comirnaty; BioNTech/Pfizer/Fosun) and CoronaVac (CoronaVac Life Sciences) commenced on March 6, 2021, and February 23, 2021, respectively. BNT162b2 vaccine was the first SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration,2 whereas CoronaVac is an inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine using adjuvant aluminum hydroxide.3 Using territory-wide electronic medical records and vaccination records, we conducted this population-based, retrospective study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in the CKD population.