Why Physical Activity Should Be Considered in Clinical Trials for COVID-19 Vaccines: A Focus on Risk Groups

Miguel Junior Sordi Bortolini, Bernardo Petriz, José Roberto Mineo and Rafael de Oliveira Resende
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Miguel Junior Sordi Bortolini: Laboratory of Translational Immunology, Health and Sports Sciences Center, Federal University of Acre, Rio Branco 69920-900, Brazil
Bernardo Petriz: Laboratory of Molecular Exercise Physiology, University Center UDF, Brasília 70390-045, Brazil
José Roberto Mineo: Laboratory of Immunoparasitology “Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo”, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38405-317, Brazil
Rafael de Oliveira Resende: Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: Since the World Health Organization declared the global COVID-19 state of emergency in early 2020, several vaccine candidates have emerged to control SARS-CoV-2, and some of them have been approved and implemented in vaccination campaigns worldwide. Although clinical trials for these vaccines have been carried out using highly controlled methods with accurate immunological tests, clinical questionnaires did not include questions concerning the physical activity profile among volunteers. It has been well established that physical activity plays a pivotal role in the immune response after vaccination, led by the activation of cytokines, antibodies, and cells. This concept should have been considered when evaluating the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, particularly in elderly and obese people. Here, we discuss data from the literature providing strong evidence regarding the importance of analyzing physical activity parameters to improve the accuracy of clinical trials on assessing the efficacy of vaccine candidates.

Keywords: physical activity; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; vaccine; clinical trials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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