The Prospective COVID-19 Post-Immunization Serological Cohort in Munich (KoCo-Impf): Risk Factors and Determinants of Immune Response in Healthcare Workers

In the world of pandemic research, understanding the intricate dance between infections, prevention measures, and their consequences on public health is of paramount importance. Within ORCHESTRA, the WP3 team has been ardently focused on unraveling these complexities through an ambitious set of tasks grounded in population-based cohorts.

The KoCo-Impf study, centered in Munich, conducted with 6088 adult participants recruited between June and December 2021, dives deep into antibody dynamics post-vaccination and infection. Although a robust model fitting real-world data was no easy task, the developed model proved to be transformative. It identified risk factors for infection and determinants of antibody response after infection and/or vaccination.

Among other key findings, factors like working as a healthcare worker (HCW)  and contact with SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals were identified as risk factors for infection, while vaccination and current smoking were linked to reduced risk. Given the significantly higher infection risks and the limited number of distinctive risk factors, safeguarding all HCWs regardless of individual traits is strongly recommended.