Author:

• Júlia Moreira Pescarini - Pescarini, J.M. - <juliapescarini@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8711-9589

Co-author(s):

• Camila Silveira Silva Teixeira - Teixeira, C. S. S. - <csst.camila@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6340-7957
• Enny Paixão Cruz - Cruz, E. P. - <enny.Cruz@lshtm.ac.uk>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4797-908X
• Naiá Ortelan - Ortelan, N. - <naia.ortelan@fiocruz.br>
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001- 6535-748X
• Priscila Fernanda Porto Scaff-Pinto - Scaff-Pinto, P. F. - <priferscaff@hotmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4314-5894
• Andrêa Jacqueline Fortes Ferreira - Ferreira, A.J.F - <andrea18f@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6884-3624
• Flavia Jôse Oliveira Alves - Alves, F.J.O - <flaviajosy1@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1613-2270
• Elzo Pereira Pinto Junior - Pinto Junior, E.P. - , XX - <elzojr@hotmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6977-2071
• Ila Rocha Falcão - Falcão, I.R - <falcao.ila@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6961-3858
• Aline dos Santos Rocha - Rocha, A.S - <linny_rochaa@hotmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3806-6446
• Nivea Bispo da Silva - da Silva, N. B. - <nivea.bispo@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4472-6829
• Renzo Flores Ortiz - Ortiz, R. F. - <renzojfo@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7639-2627
• Ramon da Costa Saavedra - Saavedra, R. da C. - <rcsaavedra40@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4892-0052
• Vinicius de Araújo Oliveira - Oliveira, V.A - <vinicius.oliveira@fiocruz.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7858-9650
• Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva - Ribeiro-Silva, R.C - <ritaribeiroufba@gmail.com>
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8387-9254
• Maria Yury Travassos Ichihara - Ichihara, M.Y.T - <maria.yury@fiocruz.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8590-6212
• Viviane Boaventura - Boaventura, V. - <Viviane.boaventura@fiocruz.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7241-6844
• Manoel Barral Netto - Netto, M.B - <manoel.barral@fiocruz.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5823-7903
• Ligia Regina Franco Sansigolo Kerr - Kerr, L. R. F. S. - <ligiakerr@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4941-408X
• Guilherme Loureiro Werneck - Werneck, G. L. - <gwerneck@nesc.ufrj.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1169-1436
• Mauricio L. Barreto - Barreto, M.L - <mauricio@ufba.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0215-4930

Abstract:

The assessment of vaccines effectiveness is done with real-world data. It is essential for monitoring the performance of vaccination programs over time, and in the context of the appearance of new variants. Until now, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines has been assessed using classic methods such as cohort and test-negative case-control studies. These often may not be able to control for the biases inherent in the allocation of vaccination campaigns. In this review, we aim to discuss the study designs available for evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines, emphasizing quasi-experimental studies, which seek to mimic randomized studies by introducing an exogenous component for attribution to treatment. Also, we discussed their advantages, limitations and applicability in the context of Brazilian data. The use of quasi-experimental approaches, such as interrupted time series, the difference-in-differences, propensity score, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity design, is relevant for providing more accurate estimates of the effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19 in scenarios such as the Brazilian, with vaccination campaigns characterized by the use of various vaccines, with different numbers of and intervals between doses, applied at different age groups and introduced at different times of the pandemic.

Keywords:

coronavirus, causal inference, immunization.

Content:

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