A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis has shown that booster shots for Moderna and BioNTech/BioNTech COVID-19 are approximately 90 percent effective in avoiding hospitalization for those with the omicron strain. To make these calculations, researchers at the agency used admission and diagnosis data from almost 400 hospitals and 260 emergency care units in 10 states between August 26 and January 5 2021.
According to the agency, “These results underscore the necessity of receiving a 3rd dose of the mRNA COVID-19 shot in order to prevent moderately severe or severe COVID-19,”
This new CDC study is in line with another released yesterday reporting that unvaccinated Americans between the ages of 50–64 and those 65 and older were, respectively, 44 times and 49 times more likely to be hospitalized in December with COVID-19 infections than vaccinated people in those age groups who have received booster shots. The CDC has calculated hospitalization rates based on COVID-19 infection data that was collected by the agency up to December 25, 2021. These calculations are therefore mainly based upon delta variant infections, and don’t include any data from the expected peak of the omicron surge.
The agency found that adults aged 18 and older who were not vaccinated were 16 times as likely to end up in hospital than those who were fully vaccinated.
This chart displays the COVID-19 hospitalization rate for 100,000 Americans in week ending December 25, 2021. Nearly 160,000. Americans were hospitalized for COVID-19-related infections on December 25. Average daily COVID-19 mortality rose to nearly 21,000 from 1300 on December 25th.
Also, let’s take a look at recent data from Alberta. This will give you a better understanding of the impact of the omicron variant on COVID-19 diseases trends among unvaccinated older adults and those who have been vaccinated.
Alberta public health authorities report that as of January 19, the COVID-19 hospitalization rate for folks aged 60–69 who are tripled-vaccinated (boosted) is 21 per 100,000 people, double-vaccinated is 186 per 100,000, and unvaccinated is 1,225 per 100,000. Unvaccinated Canadians are at least 58 times more likely that those with booster shots to their health. For those aged over 5, the rate of hospitalization is 41 for triple-vaccinated people, 87 for two-vaccinated individuals, and 600 unvaccinated Albertans.
For people between 60 and 69 years, the ICU hospitalization rates per 100,000 are 1.6 for triple-vaccinated individuals, 31.5 for double-vaccinated persons, and 896 in the case of the unvaccinated. ICU hospitalization rates per 100,000 for those 5 to 69 years old is 2.2 for Albertans triple-vaccinated and 8.7 for Albertans double-vaccinated and 131.4 respectively for the unvaccinated.
These data should encourage Americans to get shot, even if they aren’t vaccinated.
Disclosure: Two doses of Moderna in February and March last year and an additional Pfizer booster October last year were my two.