COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic’s global impact was mitigated through rapid vaccine development, leading to a mix of natural and vaccination-derived immunity. The immunological profile in hybrid immunity remains less studied, especially in regions where non-mRNA vaccines were used. This study focu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Deepika Gujjarlapudi, Ankit Mittal, Rupjyoti Talukdar, Rupa Banerjee, Sadhana Yelamanchili, Nitin Jagtap, Vidyavathi Devi Gajapathi Raju, Veeraiah Namburu, Nageshwar Reddy Duvvur
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1977_24
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849389915662450688
author Deepika Gujjarlapudi
Ankit Mittal
Rupjyoti Talukdar
Rupa Banerjee
Sadhana Yelamanchili
Nitin Jagtap
Vidyavathi Devi Gajapathi Raju
Veeraiah Namburu
Nageshwar Reddy Duvvur
author_facet Deepika Gujjarlapudi
Ankit Mittal
Rupjyoti Talukdar
Rupa Banerjee
Sadhana Yelamanchili
Nitin Jagtap
Vidyavathi Devi Gajapathi Raju
Veeraiah Namburu
Nageshwar Reddy Duvvur
author_sort Deepika Gujjarlapudi
collection DOAJ
description Background: The COVID-19 pandemic’s global impact was mitigated through rapid vaccine development, leading to a mix of natural and vaccination-derived immunity. The immunological profile in hybrid immunity remains less studied, especially in regions where non-mRNA vaccines were used. This study focuses on the immunological profiles and predictors of immune response in one such population. Methods: This cohort study assessed their humoral and cellular immune responses, breakthrough Omicron infections, and hospitalization rates based on vaccination and infection history. Immunological assays to measure anti-spike protein and neutralizing antibodies and interferon-γ release assay were performed. Regression models were used to estimate predictors of immune response and hospitalization in patients with breakthrough infections. Results: The study revealed significant differences in immune response among participants based on their hybrid immunity status, vaccination, and infection history. Higher antibody titers and cellular responses were observed in individuals with hybrid immunity, especially those with dual pre-Omicron and Omicron infections (3326 BAU/ml, IQR: 770.25–5678.25 and 4.92 IU of IFN-γ/mL, respectively, P < 0.001). Age, hypertension, baseline antibody levels, and vaccination status were found to predict humoral response. Baseline antibody levels were found to be predictive of hospitalization, and no participants with an antibody titer >250 BAU/mL required hospitalization. Conclusion: Hybrid immunity is linked to a stronger humoral and cellular immune response, and elevated antibody titers can serve as a surrogate marker for protection against hospitalization. These findings highlight the need to prioritize high-risk groups, such as older adults and individuals with comorbidities, for booster vaccinations to strengthen community-level defenses against COVID-19.
format Article
id doaj-art-669db9ddef964a0890d78709c5db1ab0
institution Kabale University
issn 2249-4863
2278-7135
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
spelling doaj-art-669db9ddef964a0890d78709c5db1ab02025-08-20T03:41:49ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352025-07-011472885289110.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1977_24COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunizationDeepika GujjarlapudiAnkit MittalRupjyoti TalukdarRupa BanerjeeSadhana YelamanchiliNitin JagtapVidyavathi Devi Gajapathi RajuVeeraiah NamburuNageshwar Reddy DuvvurBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic’s global impact was mitigated through rapid vaccine development, leading to a mix of natural and vaccination-derived immunity. The immunological profile in hybrid immunity remains less studied, especially in regions where non-mRNA vaccines were used. This study focuses on the immunological profiles and predictors of immune response in one such population. Methods: This cohort study assessed their humoral and cellular immune responses, breakthrough Omicron infections, and hospitalization rates based on vaccination and infection history. Immunological assays to measure anti-spike protein and neutralizing antibodies and interferon-γ release assay were performed. Regression models were used to estimate predictors of immune response and hospitalization in patients with breakthrough infections. Results: The study revealed significant differences in immune response among participants based on their hybrid immunity status, vaccination, and infection history. Higher antibody titers and cellular responses were observed in individuals with hybrid immunity, especially those with dual pre-Omicron and Omicron infections (3326 BAU/ml, IQR: 770.25–5678.25 and 4.92 IU of IFN-γ/mL, respectively, P < 0.001). Age, hypertension, baseline antibody levels, and vaccination status were found to predict humoral response. Baseline antibody levels were found to be predictive of hospitalization, and no participants with an antibody titer >250 BAU/mL required hospitalization. Conclusion: Hybrid immunity is linked to a stronger humoral and cellular immune response, and elevated antibody titers can serve as a surrogate marker for protection against hospitalization. These findings highlight the need to prioritize high-risk groups, such as older adults and individuals with comorbidities, for booster vaccinations to strengthen community-level defenses against COVID-19.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1977_24breakthrough infectionscellular immune response and hospitalization predictorshybrid immunitysars-cov-2 vaccination
spellingShingle Deepika Gujjarlapudi
Ankit Mittal
Rupjyoti Talukdar
Rupa Banerjee
Sadhana Yelamanchili
Nitin Jagtap
Vidyavathi Devi Gajapathi Raju
Veeraiah Namburu
Nageshwar Reddy Duvvur
COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
breakthrough infections
cellular immune response and hospitalization predictors
hybrid immunity
sars-cov-2 vaccination
title COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization
title_full COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization
title_fullStr COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization
title_full_unstemmed COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization
title_short COVID-19 vaccination-infection status and immunological profile from India: A case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization
title_sort covid 19 vaccination infection status and immunological profile from india a case study for prioritizing at risk population for targeted immunization
topic breakthrough infections
cellular immune response and hospitalization predictors
hybrid immunity
sars-cov-2 vaccination
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1977_24
work_keys_str_mv AT deepikagujjarlapudi covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT ankitmittal covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT rupjyotitalukdar covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT rupabanerjee covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT sadhanayelamanchili covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT nitinjagtap covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT vidyavathidevigajapathiraju covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT veeraiahnamburu covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization
AT nageshwarreddyduvvur covid19vaccinationinfectionstatusandimmunologicalprofilefromindiaacasestudyforprioritizingatriskpopulationfortargetedimmunization