Global Health Press

Literature update ViVa week 38-2026

1. Three doses help—but immunosuppressed patients remain a COVID-19 high-risk group Summary: In a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis, Stadler and colleagues searched PubMed, Scopus, and Embase through December 5, 2025, identifying 35 studies; 34 observational studies (160 observations) were meta-analyzed. Adults had hematologic malignancies, multiple sclerosis, rheumatic disease, or immune-mediated inflammatory disorders treated with immunosuppressive therapies. Against pre-Omicron variants, three doses provided 82.3% effectiveness against infection (95% CI, 72.4%–88.7%) and 88.4% against hospitalization (95% CI, 82.8%–92.3%). Yet, versus equivalently vaccinated immunocompetent controls, immunosuppressed individuals had higher risks of infection (RR, 1.57), hospitalization (RR, 3.72), and death (RR, 3.14). Protection against Omicron was substantially weaker, especially after two doses. High heterogeneity characterized all pooled outcomes. Comment: One of many: another piece of evidence, a retrospective support for enhanced primary series and timely boosters in immunosuppressed populations—but it is not a blueprint for today’s variants. Moreover, treatment-specific evidence was notably thin; all studies were observational,...

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