CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The bivalent COVID-19 booster shot appears to be protecting older adults from severe illness.
Researchers at the University of Iowa studied the booster’s impact on adults 65 and older. Early findings show the bivalent booster – the shot that protects against the omicron variant as well as the original strain – offered significant protection for that age group.
84% were less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with those who are unvaccinated. 73% were less likely to be treated in a hospital compared to those who got the original Pfizer or Moderna doses, but not a bivalent booster.
New data from Iowa Department of Public Health shows less than half, or roughly 49-percent (48.7) of older adults have had that updated dose. That is still higher that the national rate for those 65 and older of 38-percent and much higher than any other age group.
Univ. of Iowa researchers say 9 out of 10 deaths due to COVID right now are in that 65 and older age group.
Copyright 2023 KCRG. All rights reserved.
