Health

COVID-19 Boosters are effective, research finds


OneNew Omicron-specific boosters are available in the US, a study published today in JAMA lingerie highlights the importance and success of boosters in keeping people infected with COVID-19 out of the hospital.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 192,000 adults in 13 US states who were hospitalized with COVID-19 between January and April 2022 — when the original Omicron variant was at its peak. During this time, unvaccinated individuals were 10.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who had been fully vaccinated and boosted (with the original version of the booster shot). Those who were vaccinated but did not receive a booster were 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who received a booster.

This “underlines the importance” of boosters in preventing hospitalization, serious illness and death, the study authors write. The researchers urge clinicians and public health professionals to “continue to promote immunization at all recommended doses for eligible individuals.”

Only about 48% of eligible people in the US have received their first booster shot, according to latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And while 80% of people in the United States have received at least one dose of the vaccine, this is not enough to provide adequate protection against severe infection. Studies from COVID-19 vaccine researchers and manufacturers show that the protection provided by vaccines diminishes over time. Like detect As a Moderna study shows, vaccine-induced immunity may be strongest soon after people get two doses of the recommended vaccine and begins to wane afterward.

Read more: You can still have prolonged COVID if you’ve been vaccinated and boosted

In the new study, people who were hospitalized and fully vaccinated were mostly people over 58 years old. They were also more likely to have at least three underlying medical conditions and reside in long-term care facilities — suggesting that people with weaker immune systems do not have protection against COVID- 19 as healthy people from vaccines and the past. infection. They are also more susceptible to severe infections. Use of boosters improves protection for all age groups, including this one.

The study “adds support to adults 65 and older to update their COVID-19 vaccines,” said study lead author and CDC health officer Fiona Havers. Other measures are also important to help protect against hospitalization of older people or other vulnerable people, “such as early access to antiretroviral drugs if eligible, improving Ventilate, test and wear a mask,” she said.

The researchers also found that black and Hispanic patients were less likely to be vaccinated than white patients. Given the racial and ethnic disparities seen throughout the pandemic, the associations between race and ethnicity and vaccination status among hospitalizations should be closely monitored, the researchers wrote. “.

On September 1, CDC Authorised new Omicron shots developed by Moderna (for adults 18 years of age and older) and Pfizer-BioNTech (for adults 12 years of age and older). Although human data are yet to be released, public health experts believe the new booster – replacing the old one – will be an important way to continue to provide protection. “If you qualify,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement statement“There’s no such thing as a bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I highly encourage you to get it.”

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