Peak IgG antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein following immunization with the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine

This study investigated the immune response and outcome of BNT162b2 vaccination among 12 staff at a hospital in Fukushima, Japan. Blood samples were collected from participants before their first vaccination, with subsequent sampling performed during the participants' work days for six weeks thereafter. Antibody titers peaked 6-13 days after the second vaccination (days 27-34 after the first), followed by a steady decrease. Six males had significantly lower peak antibody titers than six females (p = 0.016 with t-test); the older six (median age 53 years) had lower antibody titers than the younger six (median age 35 years) but without statistical significance (p value=0.24 with t-test)

Home-visit rehabilitation in a repopulated village after the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Following the evacuation of areas affected by Japan's 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, Kawauchi Village was one of the first municipalities repopulated. Although rehabilitation resources were limited, a healthcare facility near the municipality initiated home-visit rehabilitation in 2016. To the best of our knowledge, reports of home-visit rehabilitation in repopulated villages that were evacuated following a nuclear accident are lacking.This article describes a case study of home-visit rehabilitation in Kawauchi Village. The purpose of this study was to explore how users of home-visit rehabilitation services in Kawauchi Village perceive home-visit rehabilitation, and whether it had a positive impact on their daily life. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and their ability to perform activities of daily living was assessed, to understand the living conditions of the visiting-rehabilitation service users.We studied 10 rehabilitation-service users, with a mean age of 86.8 years, who had used the services for an average of 591.4 days. Themes that emerged from the open-ended questionnaire were "established exercise habits and improved physical functions," "the joy of returning to the village," "challenges in the mountainous areas" and "changes in relationships due to the earthquake or evacuation."In conclusion, home-visit rehabilitation was successfully implemented in the repopulated village, and helped maintain the users' physical functions. This may thus be a viable choice for rehabilitation care in repopulated areas after disasters

Threshold phenomena with respect to the initiation of depopulation in a simple model of foot-and-mouth disease

Depopulation is one of the important interventions for the outbreak of animal diseases. Simulation models using actual case scenarios conclude that early depopulation is the most efficient in preventing the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). However, the long delay in its initiation was often seen in the actual cases and the theoretical analyses of FMD epidemiology with depopulation needs further elaboration. Here, we investigated the qualitative features of epidemic models when depopulation at a fixed capacity was delayed. We built a simple deterministic model for FMD based on state-transition, the SEIIR model whose unit is a single farm. The model settings and parameters were determined using the data from the 2010 epidemic in Miyazaki, Japan. By numerical calculation, we showed the existence of the threshold phenomenon with respect to delays in the initiation of depopulation and if the initiation of full-fledged depopulation surpasses the certain critical timing, the final size of the epidemic rapidly increases leading to a “catastrophic situation”. We also revealed the mechanism of the threshold phenomenon from the relationship between the depopulation capacity and the increasing rate of infection. Although it can be delayed with lower transmission coefficients, the threshold phenomenon still exists. Thus, the existence of the critical timing for depopulation appears to be a universal feature of FMD epidemiology when depopulation is used as the main treatment for disease control

Association of systemic adverse reaction patterns with long-term dynamics of humoral and cellular immunity after coronavirus disease 2019 third vaccination

Abstract The objective of this study was to clarify the impact of adverse reactions on immune dynamics. We investigated the pattern of systemic adverse reactions after the second and third coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations and their relationship with immunoglobulin G against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike 1 protein titers, neutralizing antibody levels, peak cellular responses, and the rate of decrease after the third vaccination in a large-scale community-based cohort in Japan. Participants who received a third vaccination with BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) or mRNA-1273 (Moderna), had two blood samples, had not had COVID-19, and had information on adverse reactions after the second and third vaccinations (n = 2198) were enrolled. We collected data on sex, age, adverse reactions, comorbidities, and daily medicine using a questionnaire survey. Participants with many systemic adverse reactions after the second and third vaccinations had significantly higher humoral and cellular immunity in the peak phase. Participants with multiple systemic adverse reactions after the third vaccination had small changes in the geometric values of humoral immunity and had the largest geometric mean of cellar immunity in the decay phase. Systemic adverse reactions after the third vaccination helped achieve high peak values and maintain humoral and cellular immunity. This information may help promote uptake of a third vaccination, even among those who hesitate due to adverse reactions

Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Hesitancy: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Fukushima Vaccination Community Survey

This was a retrospective cohort study, which aimed to investigate the factors associated with hesitancy to receive a third dose of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. A paper-based questionnaire survey was administered to all participants. This study included participants who provided answers in the questionnaire about whether they had an intent to receive a third dose of a vaccine. Data on sex, age, area of residence, adverse reactions after the second vaccination, whether the third vaccination was desired, and reasons to accept or hesitate over the booster vaccination were retrieved. Among the 2439 participants, with a mean (±SD) age of 52.6 ± 18.9 years, and a median IgG-S antibody titer of 324.9 (AU/mL), 97.9% of participants indicated their intent to accept a third vaccination dose. The logistic regression revealed that participants of a younger age (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96–1.00) and with a higher antibody level (OR = 2.52; 95% CI: 1.27–4.99) were positively associated with hesitancy over the third vaccine. The efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and concerns about adverse reactions had a significant impact on behavior regarding the third vaccination. A rapid increase in the booster dose rate is needed to control the pandemic, and specific approaches should be taken with these groups that are likely to hesitate over the third vaccine, subsequently increasing booster contact rate

Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Hesitancy: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Fukushima Vaccination Community Survey

This was a retrospective cohort study, which aimed to investigate the factors associated with hesitancy to receive a third dose of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. A paper-based questionnaire survey was administered to all participants. This study included participants who provided answers in the questionnaire about whether they had an intent to receive a third dose of a vaccine. Data on sex, age, area of residence, adverse reactions after the second vaccination, whether the third vaccination was desired, and reasons to accept or hesitate over the booster vaccination were retrieved. Among the 2439 participants, with a mean (±SD) age of 52.6 ± 18.9 years, and a median IgG-S antibody titer of 324.9 (AU/mL), 97.9% of participants indicated their intent to accept a third vaccination dose. The logistic regression revealed that participants of a younger age (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96–1.00) and with a higher antibody level (OR = 2.52; 95% CI: 1.27–4.99) were positively associated with hesitancy over the third vaccine. The efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and concerns about adverse reactions had a significant impact on behavior regarding the third vaccination. A rapid increase in the booster dose rate is needed to control the pandemic, and specific approaches should be taken with these groups that are likely to hesitate over the third vaccine, subsequently increasing booster contact rate

Antibody and T-Cell Responses against SARS-CoV-2 after Booster Vaccination in Patients on Dialysis: A Prospective Observational Study

Intensive vaccination is recommended for populations more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, although data regarding the built of immunity after vaccination for dialysis patients are lacking. This prospective, observational cohort study of maintenance hemodialysis patients examined IgG antibody levels against the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S1) protein, neutralizing activity, and interferon gamma levels after the third dose of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) or mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine. Humoral immunity was repeatedly measured for up to two months. The study includes 58 patients on hemodialysis. Median neutralizing antibodies reached a maximum at 56 and 9 days after booster vaccination with BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, respectively. The median IgG antibody titer reached a maximum of 3104.38 and 7209.13 AU/mL after 16 days of booster dose, and cellular immunity was positive in 61.9% and 100% of patients with BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccination, respectively. By repeating the measurements over a period of two months, we clarified the chronological aspects of the acquisition of humoral immunity in dialysis patients after a booster COVID-19 vaccination; most dialysis patients acquired not only humoral immunity, but also cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Future research should investigate the continued long-term dynamics of antibody titers and cellular immunity after the third or further vaccinations, evaluating the need for additional vaccinations for hemodialysis patients