Is there a difference in the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine in males and females? - A systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics 2021-12, Vol.17 (12), p.4741-4746
• Main Authors: Zhu, Zheng, Xu, Lizhen, Chen, Gang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 vaccine; COVID-19 Vaccines; efficacy; Female; Humans; Male; Review; SARS-CoV-2; sex
• ISSN: 2164-5515; 2164-554X; 2164-554X
• DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1984135

Females generally have higher antibody responses to viral vaccines. Our objectives were to compare gender differences in the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination. Data sources: Studies from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. We included four eligible trials; all were categorized as having a low risk of bias. COVID-19 vaccine was significantly effective in both males and females. Slightly more SARS-CoV-2 infections were recorded in females than in males, but the difference was not significant (RR 1.064 [0.888-1.274]; p = .502, I2 = 5.7%; p = .367, 643,127 participants). Despite significant biological and behavioral differences between males and females, we found no significant gender differences in the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, especially in younger populations. Further pragmatic trials are needed to confirm the gender differences in protective response of different types of vaccines to different age groups.