Why COVID-19 deaths among vaccinees show recalls matter

Since COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in the spring of 2021, there has been a wide gap in deaths between the unvaccinated and the vaccinated. Towards the end of 2022, however, data showed that most COVID-19 deaths were among vaccinated people. But that doesn’t mean COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are ineffective. It’s quite the opposite.

THE recall of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine– which was first recommended last fall – protected against infection and death when circulating BA.4 and BA.5 Subvariants of Omicron. In fact, people who received the updated COVID-19 bivalent booster were 14 times less likely to die than those who received no vaccine. They were also three times less likely to die than those who only received the primary round of COVID-19 vaccines, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In an interview, a member of the AMA Elisa Choi, MDinternal medicine and infectious disease physician, explained why COVID-19 deaths among vaccinated people are occurring and why recalls remain essential.

“Fortunately, there are many more people who are vaccinated now. The number you start with will reflect the number of people who then fall into that category when you look at a particular category, such as deaths from COVID-19,” said Dr. Choi, who is also a member of the American College of Physicians. delegation to the WADA House of Delegates. It should be noted that the opinions of Dr. Choi, as expressed in this story, are solely her own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of any organization with which she is affiliated.

“When you start with a denominator of a larger number of people, and then when you draw from that larger number of vaccinated people compared to unvaccinated people, the total population of those who are vaccinated is greater,” a- she explained. “So the number of deaths may be higher in vaccinated people because there are many more vaccinated people than unvaccinated people. More people vaccinated is a function of the success of the COVID-19 vaccination, which is a good thing. »

“Vaccinated and vaccinated people tend to be older and have more complex medical conditions,” Dr. Choi said. “This is a positive result of our initial success with COVID-19 vaccinations in elderly or immunocompromised people, who have been told they are at higher risk of death from COVID-19 and serious infection.”

“Vaccination against COVID-19 does not completely eliminate the risk of dying from COVID-19 infection, for those at higher risk of severe COVID-19, but vaccination against COVID-19 is important because it will reduce the risk of death from COVID-19 infection,” she explained. “There has been generally lower overall COVID-19 booster usage in the general population. However, people who received at least a booster dose of COVID-19 also tended to be older and have more complicated medical conditions.

“We know that immunity against COVID-19 infection and against COVID-19 vaccination declines over time,” Dr Choi said. “The important take-home message is that infection with COVID-19 does not fully protect against re-infection with COVID-19 afterwards.”

“Similarly, if one has been vaccinated against COVID-19, unless one has been vaccinated with the most recent COVID-19 vaccine – depending on when the last dose of vaccine was received – individuals may also still be susceptible to COVID-19 infection,” she said. “People who have already been infected with COVID-19 and also been vaccinated against COVID-19, they would have a “hybrid immunity”, which may offer the most immunological protection.”

“We definitely find that regardless of how the person has developed some level of immunity to COVID-19, whether it’s infection or vaccination, that immunity is declining,” he said. said Dr. Choi. “This reinforces why COVID-19 booster vaccinations are so important.”

“Vaccines are one of the most critical elements in ending the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “We’re in a very different place than when the pandemic started, but we can’t be complacent, and we can’t let misinformation and misinformation deter us from continuing to do what we know is important. to do, to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19.”