A Review of the Relationship between CD4 T-lymphocytes and Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines in People Living with HIV (PLWH)

People with immunocompromised condition, such as HIV patients, are among the most vulnerable and have a high chance of severe reactions during the pandemic of COVID-19. Therefore, to prevent such incident, vaccination is required to lower the morbidity and death caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection among people living with HIV (PLWH). However, the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and cellular immunity, such as CD4, is often neglected, despite its importance in controlling the viral load of HIV. This study seeks to review various studies on the immunological response of HIV patients, determined by their CD4 cell count, to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The data search was conducted on databases including Embase, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar between 2019 and 2022. Our review found that the CD4 cell count in PLWH is correlated with the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and the number CD4 cell could decline following the administration of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, causing the HIV load to increase. In conclusion, CD4 cell count should be considered when administering vaccines to PLWH, and careful supervision must be carried out in PLWH after vaccination to prevent an adverse immune response.