Sputnik Effective Against COVID-19 in HIV Patients

Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V has shown effectiveness in HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Sputnik V has shown effectiveness in HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), a study published in the Lancet journal.

The cohort study funded by the Ministry of Health of Russia and the Moscow Healthcare Department was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the standard Sputnik V vaccination regimen in 24,423 HIV-positive Moscow residents from April to September 2021.

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‘The new study suggested the epidemiological efficiency of immunization with Sputnik V in HIV positive and ART-treated patients for the original and delta SARS-CoV-2 variants.’
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The participants included dominance of Delta variant, with an estimation of hospitalization and severe illness rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. Data were extracted from the Moscow anti-COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 incidence Registries.

HIV damages one’s immune system because it targets CD4 T lymphocytes cells which help coordinate the immune response by stimulating other immune cells.

According to doctors, HIV persons who have a CD4 count above 500 can maintain good health while HIV patients who have a CD4 cell count below 200 are at high risk of developing serious diseases.

The study data indicated that Sputnik V's epidemiological efficiency in the entire cohort of HIV positive persons on ART was 76.33 percent in HIV+ with CD4+ ≥ 350 cells/µl vaccine efficiency was 79.42 percent, avoiding hospitalization in 90.12 percent cases and protecting from the development of moderate or severe disease in 97.06 percent.

For the delta variant in this group, the efficiency was 65.35 percent, avoiding the need for hospitalization in 75.77 percent of cases and protecting from the development of moderate or severe disease in 93.05 percent of patients.

HIV infection is known to aggravate the course of many infectious diseases, including COVID-19. However, international guidance recommends vaccination of HIV-positive individuals against SARS-CoV-2, there is a paucity of data on epidemiological efficacy assessment of COVID-19 vaccines among people living with HIV.

The authors said that the study suggested the epidemiological efficiency of immunization with Sputnik V in HIV positive and ART-treated patients for the original and delta SARS-CoV-2 variants.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 23 percent of HIV-positive people hospitalized with COVID have died.

According to the union health ministry data, the total number of people living with HIV in India was estimated at 23.19 lakh in 2020. Sputnik V is a part of the central government’s national immunization program against COVID-19.

Source-Medindia