Covid booster vaccine offers more protection for adults 65 and older than younger people, new research finds

Covid vaccine boosters continue to protect against serious illness and death, especially for people ages 65 and older, according to a large new study of veterans.

Covid vaccines continue to protect against serious illness and death, especially for people ages 65 and older, although the benefits for younger adults are not as clear, according to a large new study of veterans.

Researchers from the VA St. Louis Healthcare System analyzed data from nearly 300,000 veterans and found that last season’s Covid vaccine reduced the risk of emergency room visits by 29%, hospitalizations by 39% and deaths by 64% for all ages.

When the researchers combined the three outcomes, overall effectiveness was 28%, making the Covid vaccine similar to the yearly flu shot, which ranges from 30% to 60% protective against severe illness or death.

In the new study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers used records from the Department of Veterans Affairs consisting of about 164,000 people who got either the Moderna or the Pfizer mRNA Covid vaccine and a flu shot at the same time last fall, as well as about 130,000 who got only the seasonal flu shot.

The participants were followed for six months to see how effective the Covid vaccines were against preventing emergency room visits, hospitalizations and deaths.