122 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (9.9.21 Edition)

In This Episode:

This video update covers my latest thoughts on the Delta surge, what we’ve learned about the efficacy of COVID vaccination in older adults over the last six months, breakthrough COVID cases, and whether “boosters” will be required.

(View the show notes page to watch my subtitled talk and my slides.)

This episode covers:

The current COVID situation in US

What we’ve learned about COVID vaccination over 6 months

The latest on third doses (aka “boosters”)

How to know what’s safe & answers to FAQs

My latest recommendations for older adult & families

Note: A day after I recorded my update, the CDC released three additional studies regarding COVID vaccination. You can read about them here. Basically, one study concluded that vaccinated people are 5x less likely to get COVID, 10x less likely to be hospitalized, and 11x less likely to die of COVID.  Another study found that vaccine efficacy is a bit lower in adults older than 75, compared to younger than 75, and that vaccine efficacy was better with Moderna than Pfizer. And a study in veterans found that “vaccine effectiveness in preventing COVID-19–related hospitalization was 80% among adults aged ≥65 years compared with 95% among adults aged 18–64 years.”

Related Episodes:

121 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (7.29.21 Edition)

Related Resources:

BHWA:

COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do

CDC:

CDC COVID Data Tracker (to check your local transmission rates)

CDC: When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated

Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard

COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People (CDC)

Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Nursing Home Residents Before and During Widespread Circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant — National Healthcare Safety Network, March 1–August 1, 2021

From medical journals:

Comparison of two highly-effective mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 during periods of Alpha and Delta variant prevalence (Mayo Clinic pre-print Aug 20