Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfections in a Prospective Inception Cohort Study: Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination

Abstract

The risk of reinfection could be related to the initial SARS‐CoV‐2 clinical presentation, but there are no data about the risk change after SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination. We evaluated the rate of reinfection in an inception cohort study of 4943 health care workers (HCWs) according to symptoms and serologic results during March–May 2020. Incidence rates (IR) and IR ratios (IRR) before and after SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination were determined by adjusting Poisson models. Overall, 1005 HCWs (20.3%) referred COVID‐19 suggestive symptoms during the first surge of disease, and 33.5% and 55% presented a positive PCR or serology result, respectively. Meanwhile, 13% of asymptomatic HCWs had specific antibodies. During a follow up of 3422.2 person‐years before vaccination, the rate of reinfection among seropositive individuals was 81% lower for those who were symptomatic compared with those who were asymptomatic (IRR of 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05–0.67; p = 0.003). During the 3100 person‐years period after vaccination, an overall 74% decrease in the rate of infection was observed (IRR of 0.26; 95% CI, 0.21–0.32; p < 0.001), with a significant 83% and 70% decrease in seropositive and seronegative HCWs, respectively. In conclusion, the risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 reinfections is closely related to the clinical and serological presentation of COVID‐19. COVID‐19 vaccination further decreases the risk of reinfection more markedly among seropositive.