The updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters are effective against hospitalization, at least for a short period of time, according to two new studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Pfizer and Moderna bivalent boosters were estimated to be 57 percent effective against COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among adults without certain serious health conditions, according to one of the papers.
Researchers with the CDC and other institutions analyzed data from the VISION Network, a CDC-run system that includes nine healthcare sites. The system had records from 15,527 hospitalizations from Sept. 13 to Nov. 18.
Researchers said the data show a bivalent dose seven days or more after administration was 57 percent effective against hospitalization when compared to the unvaccinated. They did not stratify by prior infection, which produces shielding that has consistently been superior to vaccination. Researchers also estimated that effectiveness against hospitalization was improved by 38 percent to 45 percent for those who received the old vaccine as at least a primary series….