The COVID-19 VaccinE Response and Co-Administration in Rheumatology Patients (COVER-CoAd)

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), has infected a substantial portion of the world population, leading to millions of deaths since its first description in December of 2019. Recently, several SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have shown excellent efficacy and tolerability in the general population and have been either fully approved or given emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while several other vaccines are in late-stage clinical trials. Patients with autoimmune conditions, however, particularly those receiving immunomodulatory therapies, have largely been excluded from clinical trials. Yet, certain immunomodulatory therapies have been shown to affect responses to vaccines, with effects varying depending on the medication and type of vaccine. In line with the experience with influenza, pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations in rheumatic disease populations, it is clear that some disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and the immunomodulatory therapies used to treat immune-mediated inflammatory diseases have the capacity to blunt immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, a hypothetical concern is that stimulation of the immune system could lead to flares of autoimmune conditions, or new onset autoimmune manifestations. Concerns about flare or disease worsening with vaccination is also substantial among patients themselves, and can sometimes be a reason for vaccine hesitancy or refusal. Due to recent development and subsequent massive deployment of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to combat the pandemic, their safety and immunogenicity in patients receiving immunomodulatory therapies had received limited evaluation to date. At the same time, several studies have suggested that patients with autoimmune conditions may be at increased risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes, including hospitalization and death, raising the importance of effective vaccination in this setting. In this context, there is an urgent need to better clarify the immunogenicity and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in people living with rheumatic disease who use immunomodulatory therapies. Additionally, the likelihood that patients will need to be vaccinated in the future again for COVID-19 is high. Boosters at annual or other frequency are likely for all (and have now already been recommended for immunocompromised individuals), and the need to understand whether these vaccines can be given concurrently with other routine vaccines will be important for both patients and clinicians, as well as public health officials. The "vaccine moment" clinically frequently offers the opportunity to give multiple vaccines at one time. Vaccines for other respiratory pathogens (e.g. influenza), hepatitis A, pertussis, and other disease are indicated in large segments of the population, including being of utmost importance in the elderly and those with various chronic conditions and/or immunosuppression. It is imperative to understand whether co-administrated vaccines affect the immunogenicity, efficacy, or safety of COVID-19 vaccines and those vaccines of public health significance given concurrently. With this background in mind and the momentum of the vaccine campaign in the US to date, whereby the majority of at-risk rheumatology and other populations have received their initial vaccine series, this protocol will focus on evaluating vaccine responses in those receiving a booster mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. This is important, as boosters are now recommended for all adult patients in the US who have received any prior SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Further, given a large percentage of rheumatology patients can have sub-optimal or lower immune responses, booster vaccinations will be likely of utmost importance to these and other immunosuppressed groups.