Seniors who receive an omicron-adapted booster shot are 81% less likely to be hospitalized with severe COVID-19, according to a new study from Israel. The news is “some of the first evidence of the jab’s real-world effectiveness,” Reuters reported Tuesday.
In the study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, adults aged 65 and older received the omicron-adapted Pfizer-BioNTech shot, authorized this fall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These study participants had a much lower risk of both hospitalization and an 86% lower risk of death up to 70 days after vaccination. That’s when compared with their peers who had previously received at least two COVID-19 vaccinations, but not the omicron-adapted shot, according to Reuters.
The news comes as U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations are up and a highly transmissible new omicron subvariant called XBB.1.5 is on the rise. As of Jan. 4, the seven-day average for new weekly cases rose by 16.2% compared to the prior week’s average. Hospital admissions likewise increased by 16%, and deaths expanded by 8.3%, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.
In addition, CDC data shows XBB.1.5 spreading swiftly, especially in the Northeast. The variant now accounts for approximately one third of U.S. COVID-19 cases, although in some jurisdictions the proportion is currently less than 5%, the agency reported.
Federal health officials have urged healthcare providers to stay ahead of the rising tide of infections and hospitalizations by encouraging older adults to receive omicron-adapted booster vaccinations and timely treatments if they contract COVID-19. In collaboration with federal agencies, industry advocate LeadingAge is now offering free COVID-19 test kits to all aging services facilities and communities to help support infection control and prevention efforts.
The FDA in September authorized new, bivalent versions of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines to be used as booster shots. These shots target the original form of SARS-CoV-2 as well as omicron strains. The study from Israel used Pfizer’s bivalent, omicron-adapted vaccine.
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