Adults who receive updated booster doses of the vaccine appear to be better protected. coronavirus from serious illnesses compared to unvaccinated people, reducing the risk of emergency room visits and hospitalizations, according to new US federal data.

According to the researchers, it is too early to say how long the protection from the updated booster will last. However, the number of COVID-19 cases is expected to increase in January and February, so vaccination with a renewed booster dose is essential.

The Theodora Psaltopoulou, Rodanti Eleni Sirigu, Yiannis Danasis, Panos Malandrakis and Thanos Dimopoulos (Rector of EKPA) doctors at the Therapeutic Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Theodora Psaltopoulou, Rodanti Eleni Sirigu, summarize the latest data on the contribution of the updated dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 disease.

Two reports released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) take a detailed look for the first time at whether updated Pfizer and Moderna booster doses protect against serious illness.

Coronavirus outbreak expected in winter

The percentage of US citizens who received a boosted dose of the vaccine was only 14% of those aged 5 years and older.

Ahead of a new outbreak of Covid-19 this winter, following an early and aggressive flu season and high levels of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), vaccination is strongly recommended.

Covid-19 cases are averaging over 66,000 a day for the first time since mid-September, with deaths averaging about 400 a day over the past seven days, according to the CDC. More than 40,000 patients are hospitalized with Covid-19, more than 9,000 patients are admitted to hospitals daily. During the same period last year, there were twice as many cases of Covid-19 and about 70,000 people were hospitalized, with an average of about 1,300 deaths a day.

CDC Strong Vaccination Recommendations

Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the CDC’s new data on booster efficacy is encouraging, and notes that it’s remarkable that both studies were able to show a significant effect so quickly, since the vaccine wasn’t even available before September 1st.

Data from the CDC last month showed that Americans who received updated vaccines had better protection against symptomatic coronavirus infection than those who did not.

Recent reports go into more detail and show that boosted vaccines are even more beneficial, especially for adults who received their last vaccine, released about a year ago, said Ruth Link-Gelles, head of the CDC’s Coronavirus Vaccine Efficacy Group.

For people aged 65 and older who received a renewed booster dose, there is significant additional protection against serious illness and hospitalization, Link-Gelles said.

But about 150 million Americans who could get a renewed booster dose have yet to receive it. These include more than 28 million people aged 65 and over, the population at highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Link-Gelles reports that the majority of US citizens did not receive the boosted dose due to low levels of protection from previous doses. At the same time, he adds that due to the holiday season and increased travel, the incidence rate will rise sharply.

As part of the Biden administration’s updated strategy to combat Covid-19 cases this winter, health officials are also urging citizens to get tested for Covid and receive appropriate treatment. They also encourage the use of masks if they are in high-risk groups, on public transport and in public spaces, especially in communities with high rates of Covid-19.

Officials say boosted vaccines provide protection against highly contagious Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 mutations.

Officials assessed the effectiveness of the updated booster vaccine by comparing people who received two, three, or four doses of the old vaccine, as well as the updated booster dose, with people who received only the old vaccine and did not receive the new booster dose.

By mid-October, new mutations appeared, accounting for 5% to 15% of circulating mutations.

All circulating mutations are believed to be descendants of the BA.5 submutation, and because they are so closely related, Link-Gelles said, the researchers are confident that vaccines continue to protect even against new variants.

In addition, CDC health officials say that the effectiveness of the updated vaccines may be even higher than the data suggests. Studies have failed to take into account prior coronavirus infection.

The comparison group – people who were not vaccinated last year with a dose of the vaccine – may have had several coronavirus infections that gave them natural immunity, boosting their defenses with additional antibodies against the virus.