Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Are Effective Against New Coronavirus Strains, Study Finds

HealthDay (6/26, Thompson) reports a study published in JAMA Network Open found that updated COVID-19 vaccines “are keeping up with new coronavirus strains and remain effective for keeping people out of the hospital.” The study “examined the effectiveness of the 2023-2024 COVID vaccines against the XBB and JN.1 Omicron variant waves.” Researchers found the updated shots were associated with a 24% lower risk of ER and urgent care visits related to COVID-19; a 29% lower risk of hospitalization; and a 48% lower risk of ICU admission or death in a hospital. According to the study, the “protection stretched from a week after vaccination out to 299 days afterward.” Although results show that “maximum protection came during the first two months after vaccination, reducing severe cases of COVID by up to 68%,” vaccine effectiveness eventually “waned over time, particularly beyond the six-month mark.”