Should a third booster dose be scheduled after two doses of CoronaVac? A single-center experience

In the 10th month of the pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination was given first to healthcare workers in Turkey after receiving emergency use approval from the Ministry of Health. This study, which was performed at the COVID-19 reference center in Ankara (the capital of Turkey) aimed to evaluate the seroconversion rate of the CoronaVac vaccine. The anti-spike immunoglobulin G response to the two-dose vaccination was retrospectively examined in healthcare workers who had no previous history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The postvaccine seroconversion rate was investigated by measuring the antibody levels of healthcare workers who had received CoronaVac. Vaccination was administered as 600 SU in 28-day intervals. The healthcare workers' anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G levels were used to determine the seroconversion rate 2 months after the second dose of the vaccine. Of the healthcare workers, 22.9% (n = 155) were seronegative. The younger the age of the participant, the higher the level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G. Furthermore, anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G levels were much higher in women than men.

Automated summary

In the 10th month of the pandemic, healthcare workers in Turkey were first vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, and a study in Ankara evaluated the seroconversion rate of the CoronaVac vaccine. The study found that 22.9% of healthcare workers were seronegative, younger participants had higher antibody levels, and female healthcare workers had significantly higher antibody levels compared to males.