In a new study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were 94% effective against hospitalization for COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adults 65 years and older and 64% effective among partially vaccinated adults in the same age group.
The CDC study was based on adults with COVID-19-like illness who were admitted to 24 hospitals in 14 states between January 1, 2021 and March 26, 2021. Patients were eligible if they were 65 years or older on the date of hospital admission, received clinical testing for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or antigen test within 10 days of illness onset, and had onset of symptoms 0–14 days before admission.
Among the 417 patients included in the final analysis (including 187 case-patients and 230 controls),the median age was 73 years old for case-patients and controls, 48% were female, 17% were non-Hispanic Black, 6% were Hispanic (any race), 48% had one or more earlier hospitalizations in the last year, and 4% lived in a long-term care facility before admission.
