Nathan Jeffay is a science and Times of Israel correspondent.
According to a recent study, new COVID booster shots compared to Omicron resulted in an 81% relief in COVID hospitalizations for Israelis over the age of 65.
The study, based on updated Pfizer vaccines that were released this summer, found that they reduced the risk of death in this demographic by about 86 percent. However, since there was only one death among those who received boosters, this figure is considered a less reliable indicator of effectiveness than hospitalization statistics.
The research, published online Jan. 3 but still peer-reviewed, is the world’s first large-scale evaluation of “bivalent” designs that have been advanced in opposition to variants.
However, this does not shed any light on the effectiveness of the new vaccines to the original vaccines, prior to their anti-Omicron update.
Instead, it responds to the more practical consultation raised in countries where bivalent injections are the new general and encourages older adults to build muscle regularly, such as Israel and the United States. It looks at the point of coverage other people get when they take a booster versus those who don’t and rely on previous vaccines.
“The message is that if you’re over 65, getting a reminder can give you extra coverage,” Dr. Ronen Arbel told The Times of Israel on Monday. Prevent you from going to the hospital and save your life. “
He said that while the study focuses on Pfizer’s vaccines, it’s also cause for optimism about Moderna, as the generation is similar and the shots tend to have the same efficacy.
The study called bivalent boosters “an effective and must-have tool” for reducing the risk of death and COVID-related illness among people 65 and older. politicians and members of the public.
He added that he deliberately did not explore infection rates, “because today the main purpose and importance of vaccines is not to save you from infection but to decrease serious disease and death. “
Arbel, a researcher at Clalit and Sapir College, is among an organization of researchers whose previous studies were consulted through U. S. vaccine policymakers. U. S. before approving the third and fourth injections. It is controlled by Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider.
For their new study, the researchers analyzed the anonymous knowledge of all Clalit members over the age of 65 who received the first COVID vaccines: more than 500,000 people. September 24, when updated vaccines have become the norm in Israel.
The study was published in an online repository maintained through The Lancet, a leading medical journal, specifically for content that has not yet been peer-reviewed. Results were adjusted for a variety of mortality threat points to control for conceivable biases that might result from differences. in age, sex, socioeconomic prestige or comorbidities.
Dr. Doron Netzer, chief of Clalit’s medical branch and one of the study’s authors, said the studies are encouraging given that the bivalent vaccine came with limited knowledge about its effectiveness.
“The vaccine approved through the U. S. Food and Drug Administration under an emergency procedure without efficacy studies in preventing serious disease. Therefore, there is uncertainty in the global as to its usefulness.
“The effects of the vaccine we conducted show unequivocally that the Omicron vaccine is particularly related to reducing the threat of hospitalization mortality and coronavirus mortality, adding many existing strains of Omicron.
“The effects show that the Israeli Ministry of Health’s resolution to introduce an additional dose of vaccine to the elderly population has prevented many hospitalizations and even deaths from the coronavirus. The effects of publishing studies may help convince at-risk populations to complete this vaccine. ” he said.
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