Effectiveness of influenza vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers in Qatar

A number of studies reported that influenza vaccination is associated with lower risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and/or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) morbidity and mortality. We conducted a matched, test-negative, case-control study to estimate effectiveness of influenza vaccination, using Abbott’s quadrivalent Influvac Tetra vaccine, against SARS-CoV-2 infection and against severe COVID-19. The study was implemented on a population of 30,774 healthcare workers (HCWs) in Qatar during the 2020 annual influenza vaccination campaign, between September 17, 2020 and December 31, 2020, before introduction of COVID-19 vaccination. The median age in the matched samples was 36 years (interquartile range (IQR), 32-44) for cases and 35 years (IQR, 32-42) for controls. The median duration between influenza vaccination and the PCR test was 43 days (IQR, 29-62). The estimated effectiveness of influenza vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection >14 days after receiving the vaccine was 29.7% (95% CI: 5.5-47.7%). The estimated effectiveness of influenza vaccination against any severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19 was 88.9% (95% CI: 4.1-98.7%). Sensitivity analyses confirmed main analysis results. Recent influenza vaccination is associated with an appreciable reduction in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity.