Foreword: Preventing COVID-19 Among the Immunocompromised Population

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic represented 1 of the more significant and unique public health challenges facing the global community, particularly afflicting those with compromised immune systems. These immunocompromised individuals were readily recognized as a group at high risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 and the associated severe outcomes of COVID-19. Although preventive strategies such as vaccination are important, initial clinical vaccine trials did not enroll immunocompromised individuals; in-depth evaluations of the safety, immunogenicity, and real-world outcomes associated with these vaccines were conducted in this population thereafter. As immunogenicity data of COVID-19 vaccination among this disparate group of individuals emerged, vaccination strategies were adapted to address outstanding challenges and further protect the entirety of this population. This 8-part journal supplement characterizes in-depth the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination strategies across the spectrum of immunocompromised individuals, focusing on the ongoing approaches to challenges facing this group as the pandemic continues to evolve.