Age and Smoking May Reduce COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness

A non-peer-reviewed study published on August 7, 2021, aimed to determine antibody (Ab) titers three months after the second dose of the BNT162b2 (Comirnaty) vaccine and to explore clinical variables predicting these titers in Japan.

In the age-adjusted analysis of the 384 study participants, the leading risk factors for lower Ab titers were age and smoking.

Moreover, Ab titers were significantly lower in current smokers than in ex-smokers.

In conclusion, these researchers stated, 'The most important factors associated with low Ab titers were age and smoking habit.'

Note: The Ethics Committee approved this study of the National Hospital Organization Utsunomiya National Hospital (No. 03-01, April 19, 2021). No conflicts of interest were disclosed.