AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical organisation, has released the findings of its real-world study, INFORM, that re-affirms the serious and disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on immunocompromised patients compared to the general population despite vaccination.
The finding further highlights the need for additional protection for vulnerable facets of the population.
ECCMID 2024
The data from INFORM and COVIDRIVE are being presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ECCMID) 2024 Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Despite the World Health Organization declaring an end to the pandemic a year ago, COVID-19 remains a significant public health problem for immunocompromised individuals today.
The INFORM (INvestigation oF cOvid-19 Risk among iMmunocompromised populations) retrospective cohort study analysed data of nearly 12 million people 12 years of age and older in England to assess COVID-19’s impact, risk and healthcare resource use among immunocompromised populations beginning in 2022 as Omicron variants became dominant.
INFORM data from January to June 2023 show that despite receiving at least four COVID-19 vaccinations, many immunocompromised individuals remain insufficiently protected against the virus and are at disproportionately high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, including hospitalisation and death compared to the general population.