MedPage Today October 8, 2025
Even as COVID’s severity wanes, vaccines reduced emergency visits, hospital stays, and death
Key Takeaways
- The severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections has waned since 2020, and uncertainty about the value of annual COVID shots has helped drive down adult vaccination rates.
- Among veterans who received a 2024-2025 COVID shot, estimated vaccine effectiveness was 29.3% against emergency department visits, 39.2% against hospitalizations, and 64% against deaths.
- Vaccines were effective across age groups, and the presence or absence of major chronic conditions and immunocompromised status.
Receipt of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with decreased risks of severe outcomes, according to an observational cohort study of U.S. veterans.
Looking at COVID-associated outcomes in nearly 300,000 veterans at 6 months, the estimated...
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