Long-Term Immunity and Booster Strategies for COVID-19 Vaccines
A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editors
Interests: clinical infectious diseases; clinical virology; immune response following mRNA SRAR-CoV-2 vaccines
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves into a persistent endemic threat, vaccination strategies must adapt accordingly. While the repeat dosing of updated mRNA vaccines continues to be recommended, recent evidence suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach may no longer be appropriate. For individuals at high risk (those aged 65 years and older, immunocompromised individuals, or those with major comorbidities), the benefit-risk profile of continued vaccination remains favorable and widely accepted. However, the optimal approach for non-high-risk subjects is far less clear.
Accumulating immunologic and clinical data suggests substantial heterogeneity in vaccine-induced protection, influenced by prior infection history, immune imprinting, previous vaccine doses received, and breakthrough infections caused by emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Moreover, in individuals who are young, healthy, and previously vaccinated or infected, the marginal benefit of additional vaccine doses remains uncertain. Therefore, there is a need for more targeted and evidence-based vaccination strategies designed for non-high-ridsk individuals.
This Special Issue invites original research and reviews from both basic science and clinical studies to address the long-term dynamics of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination and critically evaluate booster strategies for non-high-risk individuals. Topics of interest include immune imprinting, hybrid immunity, correlates of protection, variant-specific vaccine responses, and public health implications of risk-stratified vaccination. By assembling this body of work, we aim to obtain useful evidence that could help building rational, individualized vaccination policies for SARS-CoV-2 for the large population of non-high-risk individuals.
Dr. Alejo Erice
Prof. Dr. Ortiz De Lejarazu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- SARS-CoV-2
- mRNA vaccines
- long-term immunity
- immune imprinting
- hybrid immunity
- booster strategies
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