The rationale for the most recent spring guidance, Miller said, is that a person’s age remains one of the most important points related to severe COVID outcomes, adding hospitalization, ICU admission and death.
“So this threat starts to accumulate around age 50, but it takes off in Americans over the age of 75,” he noted.
Canadian data suggests that the vast majority of COVID deaths occurred in older adults, with about 60 per cent of deaths in seniors aged 80 and older, and about 20 per cent in seniors aged 70 to 79.
People with weakened immune systems or severe physical condition are also more vulnerable, Miller added.
While the general population may not want vaccines as higher-risk groups, Miller said it’s unlikely that anytime soon there will be recommendations to get vaccinated against COVID less than once a year, given the current uncertainty about the trajectory of COVID.
“In the future, I guess for pragmatic reasons, [COVID vaccines] will be tied to seasonal flu vaccination campaigns, because it makes the rollout so simple,” Miller said.
“And while we haven’t noticed strong seasonal trends with SARS-CoV-2 right now, I think we’re going to get to a point where it’s going to be more seasonal than before. “
In the meantime, the recommendation regarding COVID vaccines remains essentially simple: You’re eligible to get another dose, whether it’s once or twice a year, you can do that too.
An analysis, published in early March in the medical journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, studied more than 27,000 U. S. patients who were tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, between September and December 2023.
The team found that people with an updated vaccine reduced their risk of severe disease by about a third, with the difference being most noticeable in older and immunocompromised people.
Another U. S. team from Stanford University recently shared the effects of a model simulation of the ideal frequency of COVID vaccines.
The study published in Nature Communications suggests that for seniors 75 and older, getting vaccinated against COVID each year could reduce severe infections from about 1,400 cases per 100,000 people to about 1,200 cases, and increase to twice a year. can further reduce those cases. to 1,000.
However, for younger, healthier populations, the advantages of regular injections are more modest than serious illnesses.
The result came as no surprise to Stanford researcher Dr. Nathan Lo, an infectious disease specialist, as old age has been a risk factor for severe COVID cases.
“It’s pretty much the same trend that has been going on during the pandemic,” he said. “And I think it’s pretty surprising. “
More widespread vaccination will not save all serious infections, he added, or even most of those infections, underscoring the need to continue mitigation efforts.
Senior Health & Medical Journalist
Lauren Pelley covers fitness and medical sciences for CBC News, adding the global spread of infectious diseases, Canadian fitness policy, pandemic preparedness, and the intersection between human fitness and climate change. Two-time winner of the RNAO Media Award for her in-depth fitness reporting in 2020 and 2022. Contact her at: lauren. pelley@cbc. ca
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