COVID-19 Vaccination in Solid-Organ Transplant: A Real-World Multicenter Experience

Objectives: India ranks third globally in organ procurement and transplant and has the second highest COVID-19 incidence rate, but data regarding COVID-19 vaccination in solid-organ transplant patients are scarce.Materials and Methods: We created a cross-sectional, anonymous, online questionnaire and sent invitations to several transplant centers in India. We surveyed vaccine mandates, immunization coverage and side effects, administration timing, infection severity among solid-organ transplant recipients, and booster dosage recommendations.Results: The survey results showed that vaccine policy is heterogeneous among centers; vaccination is voluntary at some centers (44.7%), but some centers have established COVID-19 vaccination as a requirement for transplant candidates (44.6%). CoviShield was the most common vaccine administered (89.3%), and more than 50% of transplant recipients and donors were fully vaccinated. Survey results showed that the pretransplant wait time after full vaccination (both doses) is 2 to 4 weeks (48.9%), and the optimal time for vaccination after transplant is 3 to 6 months (59.3%). For vaccinated transplant patients, 89.4% of respondents reported an incidence rate for posttransplant breakthrough infection of less than 25%. For unvaccinated patients, 38.3% of respondents reported a 25% to 50% incidence rate of posttransplant COVID-19 infection. Booster doses are recommended at many transplant centers in India, as reported by 89.4% of survey respondents.Conclusions: The results of the survey suggested that there are no substantial safety concerns Future targets should include increasing efficacy and increasing booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 vaccine policies for solid-organ transplant patients in India vary among centers, with some centers offering vaccination on a voluntary basis while others require it for transplant candidates. The most common vaccine administered is CoviShield, with over 50% of transplant recipients and donors fully vaccinated. The optimal timing for vaccination after transplant is 3 to 6 months, and many transplant centers recommend booster doses.