Staying Fit
Health officials are recommending at the advice of independent advisers that adults 65 and older get another dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this spring to strengthen their protection from the virus that is still putting nearly 20,000 Americans in the hospital each week.
In a statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the new recommendation acknowledges the increased risk of severe illness in older adults.
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The rate of COVID-19 hospital admissions for older adults continues to tower over younger populations. More than half of COVID-19 hospitalizations from October 2023 to December 2023 occurred in this 65-plus age group, CDC data shows. Mortality rates are also highest among older adults; more than 1,800 Americans died from COVID-19 the week of Jan. 27.
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And while health experts say the vaccine continues to provide protection even against currently circulating variants, older adults are more likely to experience waning protection due to natural, age-related immune changes.
“Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older. An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen, M.D., said in a statement.
COVID-19 isn’t a seasonal virus — yet
Surveillance data indicates that winter’s COVID surge is receding, but health experts stress that the virus has not yet settled into a seasonal pattern like influenza, RSV and other respiratory illnesses, and that waves of COVID-19 infections can occur in spring and summer months — and have in the past.
“I think we all feel that things with COVID are still unpredictable, particularly as new variants arise,” Megan Wallace, an epidemiologist with the CDC, said during a Feb. 28 meeting with vaccine advisers.
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