The three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration are highly effective in keeping older adults out of the hospital, according to federal data released Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated how each vaccine fares in protecting adults in two groups: aged 65 to 74 years and 75 years and older.
Moderna provided the highest overall protection, reducing hospitalization odds by up to 96% for all adults aged 65 and older. In addition, full vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine prevented hospitalization in 96% of the 65-to-74-year-old group, and 84% for Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine in this group. Efficacy dropped a bit in the 75 and older group, at 91% for Pfizer-BioNTech and 85% for J&J.
“Efforts to increase vaccination coverage are critical to reducing the risk for COVID-19–related hospitalization, particularly in older adults,” CDC concluded.
Previous infection not as protective as vaccination
Also on Friday, the CDC released new data from a large investigation in Kentucky showing that state residents who had been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 2020 were 2.4 times more likely to later become reinfected if they were unvaccinated when compared with their peers who had also suffered prior infection but were vaccinated.
“If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D. said. “This study shows you are twice as likely to get infected again if you are unvaccinated.”
