aOmicron’s new Omicron boosters are now available in the United States, a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine Emphasizes the importance and success of boosters in keeping people with COVID-19 out of the hospital.
The 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 variant of Omicron was at its peak. During this time, unvaccinated people were 10.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than people who were fully vaccinated and boosted (with the original version of the booster drug). People who were vaccinated but did not receive a booster were 2.5 times more likely to end up in the hospital than those who received a booster dose.
The study authors wrote that this “emphasizes the importance” of the reinforcers in preventing hospitalization, serious illness, and death. The researchers call on clinicians and public health practitioners to “continue to promote vaccination in all recommended doses for eligible persons.”
Only about 48% of eligible people in the United States received their first booster dose, 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 researchers and COVID-19 vaccine makers indicate that the protection offered by vaccines wanes over time. Such as the findings One Moderna study suggests that vaccine-induced immunity is likely to be strongest soon after people get two recommended doses of the vaccine, and begin to weaken afterward.
Read more: You can still get COVID for a long time if you get vaccinated and boosted
In the new study, those who were hospitalized and fully vaccinated were people over the age of 58. They were also more likely to have at least three underlying medical conditions and to be a resident of long-term care facilities — suggesting that people with weakened immune systems do not get as much protection against COVID-19 as healthy people from vaccines and the past. infections. They are also more likely to develop severe infections. Getting a booster has helped improve protection for all age groups, including this one.
The study “provides further support for adults 65 and older to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations,” says the study’s lead author and CDC medical officer Fiona Havers. Other measures are also important to help protect against hospitalization of older adults or other at-risk individuals, “such as early access to antiviral medications if eligible, improving ventilation, getting tested, and wearing a mask,” she says.
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 association between race, ethnicity, and vaccination status among hospitalized cases should be closely monitored,” the researchers wrote.
On September 1, the CDC authorized New shots for Omicron developed by Moderna (available for adults 18 and older) and Pfizer-BioNTech (for people 12 and older). Although the data on humans has not yet been released, public health experts believe the new booster – which replaces the old one – will be an important way to provide ongoing protection. “If you qualify,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walinsky said recently. statementThere is never a bad time to get a COVID-19 booster and I highly encourage you to receive it.
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