Authors (including presenting author) :
Liu APY (1,2), Tam OCH (2), Lam GKS (1), Chow TTW (1), Lee PPW (1,2), Ku DTL (1), Ho PPK (3), Shi JZ (1), Lui STY (1), Yeung WL (1), Leung YCL (4), Cheung JSS (1), Tsui BPC (1), Wong KP (5), Wong JCL (6), Poon FMH (6), Wong SCY (7), Kwok AMK (1), Cheng FWT (1), Ha SY (1), Wong RMS (1), Chan GCF (1,2)
Affiliation :
1. Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
2. Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
3. Department of Paediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
4. Department of Surgery, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
5. Nursing Services Division, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
6. Department of Pharmacy, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
7. Division of Clinical Microbiology and Infection, Department of Pathology, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
Introduction :
Emergence of the SARS-CoV2 Omicron variant resulted in COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong since early 2022. Children with chronic illnesses, particularly those with immunocompromised states, are at risk of developing complications from COVID-19. Vaccination is the primary strategy to mitigate such risk but uptake had been low for the pediatric age group. Complementing Corporate-wide efforts, an ad hoc COVID-19 Vaccination Program was setup at Hong Kong Children’s Hospital (HKCH) to provide in-patient vaccination for children on active therapy.
Objectives :
We aimed to facilitate the timely and safe administration of COVID-19 vaccines for children receiving care at HKCH. These included patients who are significantly immunocompromised due to oncologic therapy or recent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); as well as those who required prolonged hospital stay. Assessment of response to vaccination was undertaken in an immunocompromised subset.
Methodology :
A core group of healthcare providers was convened to devise a service pathway for the provision of COVID-19 vaccines to eligible patients in the ward setting. Educational material was designed to address parental concerns on vaccine safety. Serial SARS-CoV2 RBD IgG levels were captured as a surrogate of vaccine effectiveness in patients undergoing anti-cancer therapy and HSCT.
Result & Outcome :
From March-December 2022, 86 patients received COVID-19 vaccination as in-patients under the Programme. This included patients under the care of Hematology/Oncology (n=67), Metabolic Medicine (n=9), General Pediatrics (n=3), Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Neurology and Pediatric Surgery (n=7). 201 vaccines doses were delivered, including CoronaVac in 145 and Comirnaty in 56. These represented the first/second/third/fourth vaccine doses in 75/69/49/8 injections respectively. In the subset of immunocompromised patients where antibody responses were assessed, 87% were seropositive after 2 doses and antibody titer doubled after the 3rd dose. No significant adverse effects were encountered.
Here we report the successful execution of an improvised hospital-based initiative for enhancing vaccine coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. In solidarity, rapid and effective responses can be undertaken during such unprecedented times.
