COVID-19 vaccines effectively prevent hospitalization for seniors

(HealthDay)—The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective for preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalization among older adults in the United States, according to research published in the Aug. 6 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Heidi L. Moline, M.D., from the CDC COVID-19 Response Team, and colleagues examined the real-world effectiveness of the three currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines among individuals aged 65 years and older during Feb. 1 to April 30, 2021. Data from 7,280 patients from the COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network were analyzed with vaccination coverage data.

The researchers found that the effectiveness of full vaccination in preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalization was 96, 96, and 84 percent for the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen vaccine products, respectively, among adults aged 65 to 74 years. Among adults aged 75 years or older, the effectiveness of full vaccination in preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalization was 91, 96, and 85 percent, respectively.

"These findings provide additional evidence that available vaccines are highly effective in preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalizations and demonstrate that performance of COVID-19 vaccines can be assessed using existing disease surveillance and immunization data," the authors write. "Efforts to increase vaccination coverage are critical to reducing the risk for COVID-19-related hospitalization, particularly in older adults."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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