As new Omicron-specific boosters become available in the U.S., a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine emphasizes the importance and success of boosters in keeping people infected with COVID-19 out of the hospital.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 192,000 adults in 13 U.S. states who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 between January and April 2022 —when the original Omicron variant was at its peak. During this time, unvaccinated people were 10.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than people who had been fully vaccinated and boosted (with the original version of the booster). People who were vaccinated but not boosted were 2.5 times more likely to end up in the hospital than those who had received a booster.
This “underscores the importance” of boosters in preventing hospitalizations, serious illness, and death, the study authors write. The researchers call on clinicians and public-health practitioners to “continue to promote vaccination with all recommended doses for eligible persons.”
Only about 48% of eligible people in the U.S. have received a first booster shot, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And while 80% of people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the vaccine, this isn’t enough to provide adequate protection against severe infection. Studies from researchers and COVID-19 vaccine makers suggest that the protection provided by the vaccines wanes over time. As the findings from one Moderna study suggest, vaccine-induced immunity is likely strongest soon after people get their recommended two doses of the vaccine, and starts to weaken after that.
In the new study, those who were hospitalized and fully vaccinated were predominantly people over 58 years old. They were also more likely to have at least three underlying medical conditions and to be residents in long-term care facilities—suggesting that people with weaker immune systems do not gain the same amount of protection against COVID-19 as healthy people from vaccines and past infections. They also are more vulnerable to severe infection. Getting a booster helped improve protection for all age groups, including this one.
The study "gives further support for adults ages 65 years and older to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination," says the study's lead author and CDC medical officer Fiona Havers. Other measures are also important to help protect against hospitalization of older or other vulnerable individuals, "such as early access to antiviral medications if eligible, improving ventilation, getting tested, and wearing a mask," she says.
The researchers also found that Black and Hispanic patients were less likely to be vaccinated than white patients. “Given the racial and ethnic disparities seen throughout the pandemic, the association between race and ethnicity and vaccination status among hospitalized cases should be monitored closely,” the researchers write.
On Sept. 1, the CDC authorized new Omicron-specific shots developed by Moderna (available to adults 18 years and older) and Pfizer-BioNTech (for people ages 12 and up). Though data in humans have not yet been published, public-health experts believe the new booster—which replaces the old one—will be an important way to confer continued protection. "If you are eligible," said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in a recent statement, "there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I strongly encourage you to receive it."
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
More than 606.8 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 9:30 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 6.5 million people have died. On Sept. 7, there were more than 606,900 million new cases and 2,100 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 10 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 95 million coronavirus cases as of 9:30 a.m. E.T. today. Nearly 1.05 million people have died. On Sept. 7, there were 122,716 new cases reported in the U.S., and 788 deaths were confirmed.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Sept. 8. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
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WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Now that new Omicron boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are becoming available, people are wondering if they shouldstick with the vaccine brand they've been using, or if they can mix and match. While it’s recommended that you take the same brand for the two doses of your primary vaccine course, “based on previous studies of mixing and matching, health officials are relatively confident that the booster doses are interchangeable," my colleague Alice Park reports.
One question puzzling experts is why another new variant hasn’t yet supplanted BA.5. According to the CDC, this Omicron subvariant is currently estimated to account for about 88% of new infections in the U.S. For the past five weeks, there’s been almost no growth of new variants; Omicron and its subvariants have been dominant in the U.S. for the past nine months. "Unlike previous variants, BA.5 appears to have more staying power. A mix of higher transmissibility, waning immunity and relaxed restrictions likely contribute to the ability of this variant to find more hosts to infect," John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, told ABC News.
The Biden Administration is reportedly planning to gradually wind down its emergency response to the pandemic. Some administration officials speculate this “could begin the phaseout of the White House Covid team as soon as the middle of next year,” according to Politico.
More Americans sought treatment for mental-health disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic than in past years, reports my colleague Tara Law. That's according to data from the National Center of Health Statistics published yesterday that looks at the number of people taking a prescription medication for a mental-health condition or receiving counseling or therapy. The biggest rise occurred among the youngest adults, ages 18 to 44.
And as my colleague Jamie Ducharme writes, you can still get Long COVID if you're vaccinated and boosted. While she notes that "research suggests that vaccines aren’t the Long COVID shields people wished for," that doesn't mean they offer zero protection; several studies have found that being vaccinated can help lower your risk of getting Long COVID.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Kyla Mandel and edited by Mandy Oaklander.
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