Power of COVID Hospitalization Vaccines Fades in Seniors: Study | Health Info

By Robert Preidt, Health Day reporter

TUESDAY, Aug.31, 2021 (HealthDay News) – The ability of COVID-19 vaccines to protect adults over 75 from hospitalization appears to be weakening over time, but still remained 80% effective at the end of July, according to new federal data shows.

The same data indicates that vaccines continued to provide the same or nearly the same level of protection against hospitalization for people up to the age of 75, and injections remained 94% effective in adults from 18 to 49 years old, CBS News reported.

According to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalization rates among fully vaccinated people were higher among older nursing home residents and among those with underlying conditions. such as a weakened immune system.

Getting the vaccine remains crucial: Previewing the data release earlier this month, CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky noted that “hospitalization rates associated with COVID-19 were 17 times higher among not vaccinated ”.CBS News reported.

The new data was presented on Monday as the CDC’s independent panel of vaccine experts met to discuss federal plans for a possible booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines next month.

Although the results suggest a slight decline in the ability of vaccines to protect the elderly and vulnerable against serious disease, the CDC says it is difficult to draw conclusions about the duration of protection in these groups, CBS News reported.

“It can actually be very difficult for us to disentangle the weather, since the vaccination and the impact of the Delta variant, especially in some populations that we know were vaccinated earlier in time. So if we see a decrease in the last two months, that could be really tough, ”Dr. Sara Oliver, a vaccine manager at the CDC, told the vaccine panel.

Another CDC analysis released over the weekend said that even though 16.1% of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in June had been fully immunized, the vaccines appear to remain “very effective in preventing hospitalization.” CBS News reported.

On Monday, the CDC announced that it will hold another group meeting in mid-September to discuss more data on booster injections, a meeting likely to be held ahead of the Biden administration’s planned deployment of injections. reminder the week of September 20. .

Previously, senior U.S. health officials said they predicted the possibility that third doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be needed eight months after people received their first two injections, but recent data from vaccine makers and other countries suggest that booster injections may be required less than six months after vaccination, CBS News reported.

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn more about Covid vaccines.

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