Effectiveness, Immunogenicity and Safety of the Second Booster Dose of the Vaccine Against COVID-19 in the Elderly (Plus_Booster)

March 19, 2026 updated by: Valéria Valim, Federal University of Espirito Santo

Effectiveness, Immunogenicity and Safety of the Second Booster Dose (Fourth Dose) of the Vaccine Against COVID-19 in the Elderly: Study Reforça Mais (Plus Booster)

The objective of this observational case-crossover study is to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and immunogenicity of the second booster dose in the elderly. There are an estimated 490,000 eligible individuals aged 60 and over statewide for the effectiveness study. Two hundred and sixty participants will be invited to participate in biological sample for the immunogenicity study. This sub-sample will be compared with 260 biorepository samples from a cohort of immunosuppressed patients with autoimmune diseases who received the fourth dose, in a study conducted by the same team of researchers. The main effectiveness outcome will be the number of hospitalizations; and secondary outcomes will be deaths, number of reported cases, number of cases confirmed by RT-PCR. The safety assessment will be carried out by monitoring adverse events. The cellular and humoral immune response will be evaluated by viral neutralization assay (search for neutralizing antibodies), serological assay by chemiluminescence, determination of specific IgM and IgG profile, dosage of soluble systemic factors (chemokines, cytokines and growth factors), stimulation in vitro antigen-specific peripheral blood mononuclear cells and investigation of memory T and B lymphocytes and intracytoplasmic cytokines. The study hypothesis is that elderly people who received the second booster dose have a lower incidence rate of hospitalizations and death than those who received the primary regimen (two doses or one of Janssen) or a booster dose, and that the immune response humoral and cellular function of the elderly is similar to those who are immunosuppressed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Faced with the new scenario of high transmission of the Ômicron variant of SARS-COV-2, in which the elderly over 60 years and immunosuppressed even vaccinated with three doses have become a population vulnerable to a greater probability of serious illness by Covid-19, demanding an increase in risk of hospitalization and deaths, the application of the fourth dose (second booster dose) has become an alternative to increase protection for these individuals. The general objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and immunogenicity of the second booster dose in the elderly. This is an observational, case-crossover study, based on databases with notification and vaccination records and a cohort study for the analysis of immunogenicity. Elderly people of both sexes aged 60 years or older, residents of Espírito Santo, will be included. There are an estimated 490,000 eligible individuals aged 60 and over statewide for the effectiveness study. Two hundred and sixty participants, with quotas distributed by sex (50% male and 50% female) and age group, will be invited to participate in biological sample collection on the day of application of the second booster dose (T1) , 28 days after the second booster dose (T2), at the follow-up visit after 3 months (T3), 150 days (T4) and 180 days (T5), for follow-up of vaccine response and follow-up of duration of immunity, in a health unit in Cariacica-ES. This sub-sample will be compared with 240 biorepository samples from a cohort of immunosuppressed patients with autoimmune diseases who received the fourth dose, in a study conducted by the same team of researchers. The main effectiveness outcome will be the number of hospitalizations, weighted by protection time, 90 days after complete immunization (14th day after second booster dose); and secondary outcomes will be deaths, number of reported cases, number of cases confirmed by RT-PCR. The safety assessment will be carried out by monitoring adverse events. The cellular and humoral immune response will be evaluated by viral neutralization assay (search for neutralizing antibodies), serological assay by chemiluminescence, determination of specific IgM and IgG profile, dosage of soluble systemic factors (chemokines, cytokines and growth factors), stimulation in vitro antigen-specific peripheral blood mononuclear cells and investigation of memory T and B lymphocytes and intracytoplasmic cytokines. The study hypothesis is that elderly people who received the second booster dose have a lower incidence rate of hospitalizations and death than those who received the primary regimen (two doses or one of Janssen) or a booster dose, and that the immune response humoral and cellular function of the elderly is similar to those who are immunosuppressed.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
260

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Brazil
    • Espírito Santo
      • Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, 29041-295
        • Valéria Valim

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

There are an estimated 490,000 eligible individuals aged 60 and over statewide for the effectiveness study. Two hundred and sixty participants, with quotas distributed by sex (50% male and 50% female) and age group, will be invited to participate in biological sample collection for the immunogenicity study, in a health unit in Cariacica-ES. This sub-sample will be compared with 240 biorepository samples from a cohort of immunosuppressed patients with autoimmune diseases who received the fourth dose, in a study conducted by the same team of researchers.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age equal to or greater than 60 years
  • Residents of Espírito Santo, Brazil

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Being under active treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) for the treatment of any type of neoplasm
  • Being admitted to an institutionalization establishment for the elderly (hospitals, nursing homes, shelters or similar).
  • Patients with mental illness with inability to understand the consent form

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Elderly group - Immunogenicity
260 participants from the Effectiveness group, with quotas distributed by sex (50% male and 50% female) and age group, will be invited to participate in biological sample collection for the immunogenicity study.
Biological: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or Comirnaty or Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
In a Technical Note, the State of Espírito Santo decided to recommend the application of the fourth dose with vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology or viral vector vaccine, for all people aged 60 years or older, with an interval of 90 days from of the third dose, considering that, while there is no availability of vaccines adapted to the new variants, boosters with available vaccines are still the most appropriate ways to prevent hospitalization and deaths.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
number of hospital admissions
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 6 months
number of hospital admissions for covid-19 recorded in the "e-SUS notifica"
Change from baseline at 6 months
Number of adverse events
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 1 month
Surveillance of adverse post-vaccine events (PVAE) and adverse events of special interest (EAIE) recorded in the "e-SUS notifica"
Change from baseline at 1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
number of deaths
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 6 months
Number of deaths with specific ICD for covid-19 recorded in the "e-SUS notifica"
Change from baseline at 6 months
number of Covid-19 cases
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 6 monhts
number of Covid-19 cases confirmed by RT-PCR recorded in the "e-SUS notifica"
Change from baseline at 6 monhts
Viral neutralization assay
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Neutralizing antibody titers will be expressed by the ability of antibodies to neutralize up to 50% the number of plaques (PRNT50). Title > 1:50 will be considered positive.
Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Serological assay
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Serological test by chemiluminescence for qualitative and quantitative determination of specific IgG antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-Cov-2. Results are expressed in U/mL and data interpretation will be done as follows: <0.8 U/mL = non-reactive sample; ≥0.8 U/mL = reactive sample.
Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Soluble systemic factors
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Dosage of soluble systemic factors (chemokines, cytokines and growth factors). Results will be expressed in pg/ml.
Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Lymphocyte investigation
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Investigation of memory T and B lymphocytes. The results will be expressed in percentage positive frequency for a specific cell phenotype.
Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Cytokine investigation
Time Frame: Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months
Investigation of intracytoplasmic cytokines. The results will be expressed in percentage positive frequency for a specific cell phenotype.
Change from baseline at 1, 3, 5 and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Federal University of Espirito Santo

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou
Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Espírito Santo - SESA

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 19, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 10, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 15, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 17, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • FUES05

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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