Pfizer-BioNTech Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Among Long-term Care Facility Staff With and Without Prior Infection in New York City, January-June 2021.

BACKGROUND: Evidence is accumulating of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine effectiveness among persons with prior severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. METHODS: We evaluated the effect against incident SARS-CoV-2 infection of (1) prior infection without vaccination, (2) vaccination (2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) without prior infection, and (3) vaccination after prior infection, all compared with unvaccinated persons without prior infection. We included long-term care facility staff in New York City aged <65 years with weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing from 21 January to 5 June 2021. Test results were obtained from state-mandated laboratory reporting. Vaccination status was obtained from the Citywide Immunization Registry. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for confounding with inverse probability of treatment weights. RESULTS: Compared with unvaccinated persons without prior infection, incident SARS-CoV-2 infection risk was lower in all groups: 54.6% (95% confidence interval, 38.0%-66.8%) lower among unvaccinated, previously infected persons; 80.0% (67.6%-87.7%) lower among fully vaccinated persons without prior infection; and 82.4% (70.8%-89.3%) lower among persons fully vaccinated after prior infection. CONCLUSIONS: Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection risk by ≥80% and, for those with prior infection, increased protection from prior infection alone. These findings support recommendations that all eligible persons, regardless of prior infection, be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Adapting Survey Data Collection to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences From a Local Health Department.

The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ("Health Department") conducts routine surveys to describe the health of NYC residents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health Department adjusted existing surveys and developed new ones to improve our understanding of the impact of the pandemic on physical health, mental health, and social determinants of health and to incorporate more explicit measures of racial inequities. The longstanding Community Health Survey was adapted in 2020 to ask questions about COVID-19 and recruit respondents for a population-based severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) serosurvey. A new survey panel, Healthy NYC, was launched in June 2020 and is being used to collect data on COVID-19, mental health, and social determinants of health. In addition, 7 Health Opinion Polls were conducted from March 2020 through March 2021 to learn about COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and opinions, including vaccine intentions. We describe the contributions that survey data have made to the emergency response in NYC in ways that address COVID-19 and the profound inequities of the pandemic. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(12):2176-2185. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306515).