Research has shown that some vaccines not only protect against specific pathogens but can also train the innate immune system, leading to a broader, non-specific immune response. When COVID-19 emerged, there was no specific vaccine available. A large Dutch multi-center study investigated whether the BCG vaccine could provide protection against COVID-19, but this was not the case. An extra analysis after the trial revealed that flu and pneumococcal vaccinations also did not offer protection against COVID-19. The time of day the vaccination was administered had no effect on this outcome. Additionally, a two-year follow-up study of this and another Dutch trial showed that BCG had no effect on the occurrence or severity of infectious diseases other than COVID-19. It also did not influence other immune-related, non-infectious diseases, such as cancer. Finally, this dissertation demonstrates that the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine itself also has long-term effects on the innate immune system.
Konstantin Föhse (1992) grew up in Germany. In 2015, he started studying Medicine at uu77 Nijmegen. In 2020, he interrupted his clinical rotations to begin a PhD project on the nonspecific effects of vaccinations under Prof. Netea. Since March 2024, he has been training as an internist at Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital in Nijmegen, and in January 2028, he will begin his fellowship in intensive care at the Radboudumc.