Influenza vaccine effectiveness against A(H3N2) during the delayed 2021/22 epidemic in Canada
Shin Hye Kim, Erica Chuang, Suzana Sabaiduc, Romy Olsha, Samantha E Kaweski, Nathan Zelyas, Jonathan B. Gubbay, Agatha N. Jassem, Hugues Charest, Gaston De Serres, James A. Dickinson, Danuta M. Skowronski
Abstract
Influenza virus circulation virtually ceased in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, re-emerging with the relaxation of restrictions in spring 2022. Using a test-negative design, the Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network reports 2021/22 vaccine effectiveness of 36% (95% CI: -38 to 71) against late-season illness due to influenza A(H3N2) clade 3C.2a1b.2a.2 viruses, considered antigenically distinct from the 3C.2a1b.2a.1 vaccine strain. Findings reinforce the World Health Organization's decision to update the 2022/23 northern hemisphere vaccine to a more representative A(H3N2) clade 3C.2a1b.2a.2 strain.