COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity in Mongolian adults with and without chronic hepatitis

Mongolia has a high prevalence of liver disease from chronic viral hepatitis infections, which can compromise the immune response. It is unclear whether people with chronic liver disease produce a robust antibody response to the COVID-19 vaccines. We investigated whether the antibody response to the COVID-19 booster vaccination differed between those with and without chronic viral hepatitis from multiple viral types. Participants from Mongolia were recruited to the International Study on COVID-19 Vaccine to Assess Immunogenicity, Reactogenicity and Efficacy (InVITE). Demographic information was recorded and participants’ SARS-CoV2 anti-Spike antibody levels were measured at visit 1 (prior to administration of booster vaccine at baseline) and visit 2 (approximately 2 +/-1 months after booster vaccination). We used linear regression to determine if the anti-Spike antibody responses differed between participants with and without different types of chronic viral hepatitis infections. Overall, there was no significant difference in the anti-Spike antibody response between participants with and without chronic viral hepatitis, a result suggesting that COVID-19 vaccine booster immunogenicity is not affected by chronic hepatitis. Participants with chronic HCV infection produced a robust antibody response, but based on our linear regression analysis, this response seemed to wane faster than in participants without chronic viral hepatitis. Our finding that there was no significant difference in the anti-Spike antibody response between participants with and without chronic viral hepatitis adds to the evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines are immunogenic in people with chronic viral hepatitis, including in those with HBV/HDV coinfection.