COVID-19 Vaccines Effectively Protect Individuals with Psychiatric Disorders: Study

A recent study published in the Influenza Other Respiratory Viruses journal examined the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines across various psychiatric disorders yielded promising outcomes. This study by Matthew Levy  and team from the VISION Network in four US determined if mental health conditions influence the efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

The study encompassed data from a total of 2,436,999 adults from December 2021 to August 2022 and revealed that 22.1% of participants had at least one psychiatric disorder. Also, the individuals with psychiatric disorders expressed a higher incidence of COVID-19-related hospitalization compared to those without such conditions. Mood disorders, anxiety disorders and psychotic disorders were identified as significant independent predictors of hospitalization. Despite these increased risks, the mRNA vaccines demonstrated consistent effectiveness across all psychiatric disorder statuses.

Among the patients with any psychiatric disorder, recent mRNA vaccination significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization. The analysis showed adjusted hazard ratios of 0.35, 0.08 and 0.33 after the second, third and fourth doses, respectively when compared to the unvaccinated individuals. The corresponding vaccine effectiveness estimates were particularly robust that ranged from 65% to 92%, depending on the number of doses received. These figures closely mirrored the protection observed in patients without psychiatric disorders by highlighting the universal benefit of vaccination.

The study underscores the importance of vaccination in managing COVID-19 among the vulnerable populations with psychiatric disorders. Despite the elevated risk of hospitalization associated with mental health conditions, these findings reassure that mRNA vaccines offer reliable protection across diverse patient demographics. Overall, these findings suggest that despite psychiatric disorders increasing the risk of COVID-19-associated hospitalization, the vaccination remains as a powerful option in reducing this risk across all patient groups.

Reference:

Levy, M.E., Yang, D.-H., Dunne, M.M., Miley, K., Irving, S.A., Grannis, S.J., Weber, Z.A., Griggs, E.P., Spark, T.L., Bassett, E., Embi, P.J., Gaglani, M., Natarajan, K., Valvi, N.R., Ong, T.C., Arndorfer, J., Najdowski, M., Murthy, K., Ray, C., Tenforde, M.W. and Ball, S.W. (2024), Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalization and Protection Associated With mRNA Vaccination Among US Adults With Psychiatric Disorders. Influenza Other Respiratory Viruses, 18: e13269. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.13269