When asked whether they would get an improved version of the COVID-19 vaccine in fall 2024, the percentage of older adults by age group who said they were very/somewhat likely, very unlikely/somewhat unlikely, or don’t know/uncertain. Courtesy of the University of Michigan.
With new and improved COVID-19 vaccines just arriving at pharmacies and clinics across the country, new polls show that roughly half of people over the age of 50 plan to get the shot. But some older adults, who are at higher risk of severe illness, appear reluctant to get vaccinated, and interest varies widely by age group, education level, race or ethnicity and other factors, polls show.
New results from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging show that 45% of people over the age of 50 say they would likely get an improved vaccine. The data comes from a poll conducted in August 2024, just before the new vaccine was released and after it was formally recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The poll found that interest in a COVID-19 vaccine was highest among those ages 75 and older, the age group most at risk of severe illness and hospitalization if infected with COVID-19: 59% of people in this age group said they would likely get an improved version of the COVID-19 vaccine, of which 49% said they were very likely and 10% said they were somewhat likely.
Among the next youngest age group, those aged 65 to 74, a majority (51%) said they would likely get vaccinated, with 40% saying they were “very likely” to get vaccinated.
However, among the youngest age group (50-64 years old), more people said they were unlikely to get the vaccine than likely to, with 55% saying they were unlikely to get the vaccine compared to 37% saying they were likely to get it.
Across all age groups, 8% of seniors said they didn’t know or were unsure whether they would get the updated vaccine.
“We know that this virus is most likely to cause severe illness in older adults, with people 75 and older accounting for nearly half of all COVID-19 hospitalizations since last fall, and at least 44,000 deaths in people 65 and older last year directly attributable to COVID-19,” said Priti Malani, MD, MSc, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Michigan Medicine and senior adviser to the poll.
“The vaccine protects people of all ages, especially those with underlying health conditions, from disease, including severe illness,” she added. “Our new polling data suggests that health care providers and health care organizations need to do more to encourage older adults to get vaccinated quickly, especially given the current wave of increased cases and the possibility of a new wave this winter.”
The poll was conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Health Policy and Innovation and was supported by AARP and Michigan Medicine, the university’s academic medical center.
Who should get the latest vaccine and why?
The CDC has officially recommended an updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. Because of this, the vaccine is being offered free of charge to nearly everyone at pharmacies and clinics across the country, although private insurance plans can set up approved locations for plan members. Vaccines for uninsured adults may be available at local health departments and safety net clinics.
Malani noted that vaccine manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax have customized their vaccines to help the body’s immune system fight the currently circulating strain of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The annual updates are intended to achieve the same purpose as adjusting annual flu vaccinations to reflect mutations in the influenza virus, as both viruses mutate regularly as they move from person to person around the world each year.
The newly updated COVID-19 vaccine replaces one that became available last fall, which was also recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months. Malani noted that even people who received one or more doses of last year’s vaccine will need to get the new one to fine-tune their immunity.
People who had confirmed COVID-19 infection during this summer’s outbreak are being recommended to wait three months before getting the updated vaccine.
Differences by demographic group
Fifty-four percent of seniors with a bachelor’s degree or higher said they would likely get vaccinated, compared with 41% of those with less education.
Older adults who identify as black or Asian were more likely to get vaccinated than those of other backgrounds (52% and 49%), compared with 44% of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white older adults. But black older adults were also more likely than other groups to say they didn’t know or were unsure about getting vaccinated (16%).
Meanwhile, 49% of non-Hispanic white seniors said they were somewhat or very unlikely to get vaccinated, 17 percentage points higher than all groups.
The polling team also looked at vaccine intentions among people aged 50 and over who live with children under the age of 18, such as their own children, grandchildren and other minors. Previous studies have found that children are the source of infection in 70% of cases of cohabitation.
A new poll finds that people over 50 who live with at least one child or teenager are less likely to say they’re likely to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine than those without children (36% vs. 46%).
Overall, women were slightly more likely than men to say they were somewhat or very likely to get the improved vaccine and also slightly more likely to say they weren’t sure yet or weren’t sure.
Michigan-specific findings
In addition to national polling data, the team, with support from the Michigan Health Foundation, also surveyed Michigan seniors about interest in the vaccine.
Compared with seniors living in other states, Michiganders over the age of 50 were more likely to say they were somewhat or very likely to get the improved vaccine: 50% said so, compared with 45% who were not.
There were also large income differences among Michiganders, with 54% of high-income households (those earning more than $60,000) saying they would likely get vaccinated, compared with 46% of low-income households. There were no significant income differences in the national sample.
Protecting the most vulnerable
The new poll does not include people who live in institutions such as nursing homes or long-term care facilities.
But Malani said it’s especially important to make sure older people who live in those facilities and other institutions, like nursing homes, get the COVID-19 vaccine: nursing home residents accounted for about 19% of COVID-19-related hospitalizations among people over 65 last year.
“As the pandemic continues, we need to make sure that the most vulnerable people have the best and most up-to-date prevention measures, and that means getting all the vaccinations that are recommended for them,” she said. “In fact, people with health conditions or who take medications that weaken their immune system can get a booster shot of the new and improved vaccine two months after their first dose.”
A full list of these symptoms is available from the CDC and includes:
People currently undergoing treatment for cancer, people with a history of blood cancer, people who have had an organ or bone marrow transplant, people taking high-dose steroids for any illness, or people taking other medicines that may affect the immune system, such as injectable drugs for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s disease.
To find a vaccination site near you, visit vaccines.gov (www.vaccines.gov/es in Spanish).
The poll findings are from a nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for IHPI, conducted online and by phone among 3,482 adults age 50 and older in August 2024. The sample was then weighted to reflect the U.S. and Michigan populations.
Read past National Poll on Healthy Aging reports and poll methodology.
Courtesy of University of Michigan
Source: COVID-19 Hits Older Adults Hardest, Who Wants Updated Vaccine? (September 23, 2024) Retrieved September 23, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-covid-older-adults-hardest-vaccine.html
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