Summary and objectives
Older adults have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, residents from long-term care facilities (LTCF), who live in a congregate setting (with increased risk of transmission and infection) showed higher mortality rates than the general population of the same age. Therefore, vaccination of residents from LTCF against SARS-CoV-2 has been a priority in most countries. Ageing is associated with an immunosenescent phenotype characterized by a progressive increase of a proinflammatory state and, a diminished immune response to pathogens and vaccines. Therefore, there is an urgent need to determine the quality and the duration of immune responses of the elderly population, which could be very useful for designing specific SARS-CoV-2 vaccination calendars adapted to their immune needs. The aim of the study is to evaluate the quality and the duration of immune response generated by SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in institutionalized elders living on LTCF, comparing individuals recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection with elders who never got infected by SARS-CoV-2 living in the same senior facilities. In addition, we will compare the immune responses generated by elders with a younger population.