Fully vaccinated adults 65 and older are 94% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The new study, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), showed that the risk of hospitalization dropped significantly two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
People who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were not included, as the single-dose shot "was in limited use during the evaluation period," according to the study.
The study provides new evidence regarding the efficacy of the vaccines against real-world conditions, basing its data on two hospital networks in 14 states from January to March. Among the 417 participants in the study, half were over 75-years-old, 187 were case-patients and 230 were controls.
“These findings are encouraging and welcome news for the two-thirds of people aged 65 and up who are already fully vaccinated,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “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. As our vaccination efforts continue to expand, COVID-19 patients will not overwhelm health care systems – leaving hospital staff, beds, and services available for people who need them for other medical conditions.”
This study differentiates itself from recent studies out of Israel which yielded similar results, but only looked at the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; this study represented both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna equally.
"As expected, the assessment confirmed that vaccination provided no protection to people who had received their first dose fewer than two weeks earlier," the CDC said. "It takes two weeks for the body to form an immune response after vaccination."
The CDC concluded by urging every American 16 and older to get vaccinated against COVID-19.