Updated COVID-19 shots lower hospitalization risk in immunocompromised people by a third

April 03, 2024

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Key takeaways:

• Updated COVID-19 vaccines lower hospitalization risk among immunocompromised people.
• Fewer than one in five immunocompromised people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses had received an updated vaccine.

Receipt of an updated COVID-19 vaccine lowered the risk for hospitalization among immunocompromised people by around one-third, according to a study.

Despite the benefits, researchers found that few patients with compromised immune systems received one of the monovalent shots, which became available in September, replacing the previous bivalent vaccines.

Data derived from Link-Gelles R, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024;doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7312a5.

People with immunocompromising conditions, who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes and may have a reduced response to vaccines, were eligible for additional doses of the vaccines, if needed.

“Understanding vaccine effectiveness (VE) among persons with immunocompromising conditions is important to guiding vaccine policy and provider decisions,” Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, and colleagues wrote in the new study.

Link-Gelles and colleagues analyzed data on 14,586 people with immunocompromising conditions who were hospitalized with a COVID-19-like illness between September 2023 and February 2024, among whom 1,392 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 and 13,194 were not. The most common immunocompromising conditions among people with COVID-19 and without COVID-19 were solid organ malignancy and other intrinsic immune conditions or immunodeficiency.

Overall, VE against COVID-19-associated hospitalization was 38% in the first 7 to 59 days after vaccination and 34% in the 60 to 119 days after receipt of an updated COVID-19 dose, according to Link-Gelles and colleagues.

By comparison, an analysis of VE among immunocompetent patients found the vaccines were roughly 50% effective at preventing hospitalization, according to results published in late February.

Link-Gelles and colleagues found that just 18% of people in the new analysis had received an updated shot “despite those with immunocompromising conditions being at higher risk for severe COVID-19,” they wrote.

References:

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Sources/Disclosures

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Disclosures:
Link-Gelles report no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.

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