A report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Tuesday shows that COVID-19 vaccinations may have helped prevent more than a quarter of a million COVID-19 cases in senior citizens.

What You Need To Know

  • A report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Tuesday shows that COVID-19 vaccinations may have helped prevent more than a 250,000 COVID-19 cases, roughly 107,000 hospitalizations and 39,000 deaths in senior citizens

  • Seniors have been particularly devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 80% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. among Americans 65 and older

  • According to the CDC, seniors are the most vaccinated group in the country, with more than 94% of the U.S. population 65 and older receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 83% fully vaccinated

  • People 65 and older who received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines saw a 94% reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalizations, per the CDC

The study — conducted between January and May 2021 — also found that COVID vaccines prevented roughly 107,000 hospitalizations and 39,000 deaths among nearly 63 million Medicare beneficiaries.

“This report reaffirms what we hear routinely from states: COVID-19 vaccines save lives, prevent hospitalizations and reduce infection,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized getting vaccines quickly to pharmacies, nursing homes, doctors' offices and even provided increased reimbursement rates for at-home COVID-19 vaccinations, so that seniors and others can easily get vaccinated,” Sec. Becerra added.

Seniors have been particularly devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 80% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. among Americans 65 and older.

But now seniors are the most vaccinated group in the country, with more than 94% of the U.S. population 65 and older receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 83% fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Seniors are also leading the pack in terms of COVID-19 boosters, with more than 3.8 million getting a third vaccine dose out of just north of 6 million administered total as of Tuesday. Currently, boosters of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine are only available for Americans 65 and older and those at risk of severe disease. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel will meet next week to discuss authorizing additional doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. 

People 65 and older who received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines saw a 94% reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalizations, per the CDC.

According to the HHS study, the vaccines had a positive impact in terms of reduced deaths, hospitalizations and deaths in all 48 states that provided data (Hawaii and Texas were excluded due to limitations in reporting data) and in all racial and ethnic groups.

Vaccinations had the biggest impact in American Indian and Alaska Native Medicare beneficiaries, with an estimated 21% reduction in infections (2,000) and 25% reduction in deaths (400). 

The HHS study estimates a drop of 29,000 infections among both Black and Hispanic Medicare recipients, more than 17% reductions for both groups. 

Tuesday’s report “further underscores why it's critically important to get all eligible individuals living in the United States vaccinated against COVID-19,” HHS wrote in a statement. “The study found that high vaccination rates for all adults were even more protective for Medicare beneficiaries than just a high elderly vaccination rate on its own. The COVID-19 vaccines protect communities by reducing infections, deaths, and hospitalizations.”