The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data showing the effectiveness of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines released to the public in September.
The CDC’s data suggests that the booster shots reduced coronavirus-related hospitalizations by 57% compared to those who are unvaccinated and by 45% for those with a previous vaccination of the regular COVID-19 shot.
“Bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines were developed to improve protection against circulating omicron sublineages because of immune escape potentially associated with these subvariants and waning of monovalent vaccine-conferred protection over time,” authors of the CDC’s study wrote. “Real-world data suggest that bivalent boosters provide a modest degree of protection against symptomatic infection among adults compared with receipt of 2, 3, or 4 doses of monovalent vaccines only.”
Following the release of the data, the CDC continues to recommend the public get an updated COVID-19 booster.
“All eligible persons should stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccination, including receiving a bivalent booster dose. In addition, persons should consider taking other precautions to avoid respiratory illness this winter season, including masking in public indoor spaces, especially in areas where COVID-19 community levels are high, to protect themselves and others and reduce strain on the health care system during an ongoing surge in multiple respiratory viruses,” the authors wrote.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends boosters for those ages 5 and up with two previous COVID-19 shots. Some as young as 6 months are also eligible for the shot.
So far, 14.1% of those ages 5 and up have gotten an updated shot, the CDC said.