Comparative analysis of vaccine and disease induced immunity and immunological evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines on effectiveness and safety / Consortium: COVIDIMMUNITY

A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 started the first coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. The virus spreads mainly via respiratory droplets and occasionally the disease leads to a severe lower respiratory tract infection, acute respiratory failure and death. Globally, as of June 2020 there have been nearly 6,5 million cases and 400 000 deaths due to COVID-19 infection. Our research consortium concentrates on analyzing the activation and specificity of antibody and cell-mediated immunity in COVID-19 infected and vaccinated individuals. We intend to identify the viral targets of protective immunity and in longitudinal follow-up studies analyze the natural infection and COVID-19 vaccine-induced immunity at individual and population level. The study has a significant public health impact and the data produced by the project is likely to enhance pandemic preparedness and response as well as to direct coronavirus vaccination policy in Finland.