Comparison of the Immune Response to Natural COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination

The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been intensified by no population-based immunity to the severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) and initially lack of effective treatments or vaccines available to mitigate the pandemic. Currently, two COVID-19 vaccines are available for vaccination in Europe through conditional marketing authorisation granted by the European Medicines Agency and further vaccine will be licensed. These vaccines have shown good vaccine efficacy in phase 3 vaccine trials. We will recruit subjects who will be prioritised for vaccination with the primary aim of comparing the immune responses after COVID-19 vaccination and natural SARS-CoV-2 infection. In Western Norway we have recruited cohorts of health care workers and patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and will extend to COVID-19 vaccinees. Demographic, clinical data and repeated blood samples will be collected to evaluate the complications and kinetics, duration and breadth of the immune responses comparing natural infection to vaccination.