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Background: Convalescent plasma (CCP) has been used for treating some infectious diseases; however, the efficacy of CCP in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains controversial. The aim of this research was to assess the efficacy of CCP as an adjunctive treatment in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane and MedRix were searched for potentially relevant articles. All included papers were assessed for the quality using modified Jadad scale and Newcastle-Ottawa scale for randomized controlled trial (RCT) and non – RCT, respectively. We used a Q test and Egger test to assess the heterogeneity and publication bias among studies, respectively. Mortality rates between patients treated with standard treatment and standard treatment with CCP were compared using a Z test. Results: A total of 12 papers consisting of three cross-sectional studies, one prospective study, five retrospective studies, and three RCT studies were included in our analysis. Of them, a total of 1,937 patients treated with CCP and 3,405 patients without CCP were included. The risk of mortality was 1.92-fold higher in patients without CCP compared to patients treated with CCP (OR: 1.92; 95%CI: 1.33, 2.77; p=0.0005). In severe COVID-19 sub-group analysis, we found that patients without CCP had a 1.32 times higher risk of mortality than those treated with CCP (OR: 1.32; 95%CI: 1.09, 1.60; p=0.0040). Conclusions: CCP, as adjunctive therapy, could reduce the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients.

Background: Cases of myocarditis development have been reported after administration of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines. However, the reports vary among the studies, and the types of mRNA vaccines with potential to cause myocarditis remain unidentified. The objective was to assess the cumulative prevalence of myocarditis and determine the association between myocarditis and mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: We performed a network meta-analysis by searching articles in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Information on the prevalence of myocarditis after the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination was collected from each study. Analysis was performed by calculating the pooled prevalence rate, and the association was determined using the Z-test. Data networking was performed using the Bayesian method. Results: A total of 18 papers was included in our analysis. We found that the cumulative prevalence of myocarditis was 1.7, 1.9, 1.2, and 1.1 per 100,000 population after vaccination with different types of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, namely all mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, BNT162b1, mRNA-1273, and the combination of BNT162b1 and mRNA-1273, respectively. Moreover, the results revealed that BNT162b1 vaccination increased the risk of myocarditis by 1.64- and 1.71-folds compared to mRNA-1273 and the combination of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, respectively. Similar risks of developing myocarditis were observed after mRNA-1273 and the combination of BNT162b1 and mRNA-1273 vaccination. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the cumulative prevalence of myocarditis after mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination with maximum prevalence was observed after BNT162b2 administration. BNT162b2 was associated with a higher risk of developing myocarditis than the other mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 vaccination program, which uses various types of vaccines, has been applied since the beginning of 2021. However, the efficacy in the context of seroconversion rate remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the seroconversion rates among different COVID-19 vaccines using a network meta-analysis approach. METHODS: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted during the study period. Data of interest, such as seroconversion rate and the type of COVID-19 vaccine, were extracted from each study. The analysis was performed using single-arm analysis by calculating the cumulative seroconversion rate. A network meta-analysis was conducted using the Bayesian method. RESULTS: A total of 31 RCTs were included in our analysis. Our pooled calculation revealed that the seroconversion rates of inactivated messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), protein subunit, and vector COVID-19 vaccines during the follow-up periods were 93.2%, 93.9%, 65.3%, and 54.7%, respectively, at ≤ 15 days; 96.0%, 94.8%, 91.2%, and 89.7%, respectively, between days 16–30; and 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.5%, and 96.2%, respectively, between days 31–60.The indirect comparison revealed that in the follow-up periods of ≤ 15 and 16–30 days, the inactivated and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines had superior seroconversion rates compared with those of the protein subunit and vector vaccines. In the follow-up period of 31–60 days, the highest seroconversion rates were found in the inactivated, mRNA, and protein subunit COVID-19 vaccines. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable information regarding the comparison of seroconversion rates of COVID-19 vaccines.

Background: Convalescent plasma (CCP) has been used for treating some infectious diseases; however, the efficacy of CCP in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains controversial. The aim of this research was to assess the efficacy of CCP as an adjunctive treatment in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane and MedRix were searched for potentially relevant articles. All included papers were assessed for the quality using modified jadad scale and Newcaste-ottawa scale for randomized controlled trial (RCT) and non – RCT, respectively. We used a Q test and Egger test to assess the heterogeneity and publication bias among studies, respectively. Mortality rates between patients treated with standard treatment and standard treatment with CCP were compared using a Z test. Results: A total of 12 papers consisting of three cross-sectional studies, one prospective study, five retrospective studies, and two RCT studies were included in our analysis. Of them, a total of 1,937 patients treated with CCP and 3,405 patients without CCP were involved.. The risk of mortality was 1.92-fold higher in patients without CCP compared to patients treated with CCP (OR: 1.92; 95%CI: 1.33, 2.77; p=0.0005). In severe COVID-19 sub-group analysis, we found that patients without the CCP had a 1.32 times higher risk of mortality than those treated with the CCP (OR: 1.32; 95%CI: 1.09, 1.60; p=0.0040). Conclusions: CCP, as adjunctive therapy, reduces the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients.

Background: Convalescent plasma (CCP) has been used for treating some infectious diseases; however, the efficacy of CCP in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains controversial. The aim of this research was to assess the efficacy of CCP as an adjunctive treatment in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Four bibliographic databases and a preprint database were searched for potentially relevant articles. Mortality rates between patients treated with standard treatment and standard treatment with CCP were compared using a Z test. Results: A total of 1,937 patients treated with CCP and 3,405 patients without CCP retrieved from 12 studies were included. The risk of mortality was 1.92-fold higher in patients without CCP compared to patients treated with CCP (OR: 1.92; 95%CI: 1.33, 2.77; p=0.0005). In severe COVID-19 sub-group analysis, we found that patients without the CCP had a 1.32 times higher risk of mortality than those treated with the CCP (OR: 1.32; 95%CI: 1.09, 1.60; p=0.0040). Conclusions: CCP, as adjunctive therapy, reduces the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients.