A team led by researchers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) examined Medicare claims data from the beginning of the month for Omicron’s SARS-CoV-2 variants, and found that the third dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was two-dose. They concluded that there was a significant protective effect on hospitalization and death compared to the previous study, but it decreased significantly after 4 months.
The study, published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, is based on data from 8.1 million community-dwelling Medicare-based beneficiaries aged 65 and older who received their second or third dose of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. Received the first vaccination. From December 2021 to March 2022. Of all eligible beneficiaries, 73.3% received the third dose of the original mRNA COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the study period.
77% effective 14-60 days after vaccination, 73% effective
At 14 to 60 days after vaccination, the relative vaccine efficacy (RVE, compared to two doses) for the third dose of Moderna against hospitalization was 77.2% (95% confidence interval (CI), 76.0% to 78.4%), compared to Pfizer/ BioNTech’s RVE was 72.5%. (95% CI, 70.8% to 74.0%). Additional efficacy was high from 61 days to 4 months (Moderna RVE, 42.1% (95% CI, 37.5% to 46.3%); Pfizer RVE, 51.0% (95% CI, 48.0% to 53.7%); After that, it decreased significantly.
Participants with a previous medical diagnosis of COVID-19 experienced substantial protection against hospitalization after the third vaccination within 14 to 60 days (Moderna RVE, 71.1%, 95% CI, 62.6% to 77.6%, Pfizer RVE, 65.5%, 95%) CI, 55.1%, 73.5%). Both vaccines were effective for up to 120 days in these patients, although their effectiveness is waning.
Pfizer’s third dose was only 5.4% effective against hospitalization after 120 days in patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 in a health care setting, while Moderna’s third dose was only 5.4% effective against hospitalization in this group at that time. (RVE, 43.1%). This benefit was similar across all age groups and genders, and was more observed in participants with compromised immune systems than in those with healthy immune systems.
Moderna is more effective against hospitalization
Moderna’s three-dose vaccine regimen was found to be more effective at reducing coronavirus infections than Pfizer’s regimen by 14 to 60 days (RVE, 35.2%; 95% CI, 30.2% to 39.9%) and 61 to 90 days (RVE, 40.6%). It was highly effective against hospitalization due to COVID-19. ; 95% CI, 36.5% to 44.6%), and 91 to 120 days (RVE, 34.8%; 95% CI, 29.0% to 40.2%).
Recent formulations of COVID-19 vaccines and new predominant SARS-CoV-2 variants to inform the design of future vaccination programs, especially for high-risk individuals. , additional research is needed to investigate reduced efficacy of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.
“The differences between the brands we observed are partially due to the higher dosage of Moderna compared to Pfizer (100 micrograms for the third initial booster dose for certain immunocompromised patients, compared to 100 μg for the general population). BioNTech (30 μg) vaccine,” the study authors wrote.
There was no significant difference in efficacy against COVID-19 hospitalizations between brands 120 days after the third dose (RVE, 7.5%; 95% CI, 0.9% to 15.2%). However, for more severe outcomes such as death and in-hospital mortality, significant differences in efficacy were seen between brands 14 to 90 days after the third dose.
“With the recent formulations of COVID-19 vaccines and new predominant SARS-CoV-2 variants, we are seeking to inform the design of future vaccination programs, especially for high-risk individuals. “Additional studies are needed to investigate the reduction in vaccine efficacy,” the researchers wrote.
