Vaccine May Prevent Severe COVID-19 in Older Adults

There's great news for older adults who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Adults age 65 and older are 94 percent less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 if they are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC noted that this is the first real-world data that shows how effective the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are at preventing severe illness from COVID-19. Health officials said this news suggests that the health care system is less likely to be overwhelmed with COVID-19 hospitalizations in the future.

"These findings are encouraging and welcome news for the two-thirds of people aged 65 and up who are already fully vaccinated,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky in a press release. “COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and these real-world findings confirm the benefits seen in clinical trials, preventing hospitalizations among those most vulnerable. The results are promising for our communities and hospitals."

To reach these findings, researchers looked at COVID-19 hospitalizations in 24 hospitals across 14 US states. They studied 417 patients, over half of whom were older than 75. Of the patients, 187 had COVID-19 and 230 were in the control group.

Patients who had received a vaccination at least two weeks earlier were much less likely to be hospitalized with severe COVID-19, this research found.

This research only examined the effectiveness of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines approved in the US: the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. It did not assess the effectiveness of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The CDC said this research was one of many assessments planned to look at real-world COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness.

Public health experts advise everyone who is at least 16 years old to get a COVID-19 vaccine. For help scheduling a shot or to ask questions about the vaccine, reach out to your doctor or pharmacist.