Hunter
01/17/23
New University of Iowa research on the COVID bivalent booster shows its effectiveness against the latest strains of the virus.
The Gazette reports that Although just 39 percent of Americans 65 and older have had both the initial COVID vaccine series plus an updated bivalent booster against the omicron strain, the new research shows “significant protection” from that bivalent shot among those older adults.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say senior citizens who are updated on their shots were 84 percent less likely to be hospitalized with COVID than unvaccinated people.
Nicholas Mohr is a professor of emergency medicine, anesthesia, and epidemiology at the UI. He calls the bivalent shot a valuable tool for protecting vulnerable people in the winter months when COVID cases are on the rise. CDC figures show 94 percent of Americans 65 and older have completed the primary vaccine series, as did 79 percent of those 18 and older.
University of Iowa Health care has been involved in COVID research since the pandemic began in early 2020. They’re currently using health care workers, the first to get the jabs, to identify effectiveness of vaccines by age, job setting, brand, infection history, and against the emerging variants. UIHC is also studying new COVID vaccines, therapies, and those who are suffering from long-term COVID symptoms.