Good well being information for infants, youngsters and adults concerning the advantages of COVID-19 vaccination saved coming in December.
Pregnant individuals who have been vaccinated earlier than turning into contaminated with the coronavirus had a decrease threat of extreme COVID-19 — and their infants have been much less more likely to be born prematurely — than pregnant individuals who had not gotten vaccinated earlier than an an infection. Researchers analyzed a Canadian well being database of pregnant folks recognized with COVID-19 from April 2021 to December 2022, protecting the Delta and Omicron intervals. Solely 5 p.c in Delta and 1.5 p.c in Omicron of these vaccinated earlier than prognosis have been hospitalized, in contrast with 13.5 p.c and 5 p.c of those that weren’t vaccinated. The proportion of newborns who have been preterm was additionally decrease for folks vaccinated throughout being pregnant, researchers report December 15 in JAMA.
The 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine supplied youngsters further safety from the illness on prime of their immunity from previous years’ photographs, infections or each. The vaccine was an estimated 76 p.c efficient in opposition to emergency division or pressing care visits for COVID-19–like sickness in youngsters 9 months to 4 years previous, in contrast with not getting the vaccine. Meaning 76 p.c fewer of the vaccinated youngsters had emergency visits. The vaccine was an estimated 56 p.c efficient for teenagers 5 to 17 years previous, researchers report December 11 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The examine checked out an digital well being community of 9 U.S. states.
And a examine of tens of millions of individuals in France discovered that vaccinated adults had a decrease threat of demise from any trigger. The evaluation, utilizing the French Nationwide Well being Knowledge System, included near 23 million vaccinated and virtually 6 million unvaccinated adults ages 18 to 59. From 2021 to 2025, there have been round 98,500 deaths within the vaccinated group and about 32,500 deaths within the unvaccinated group. That corresponded to a 25 p.c decrease threat of dying for any purpose for these vaccinated, researchers report within the December 4 JAMA Community Open.
It’s not too late to get vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. Circumstances are inclined to ramp up as winter progresses. Solely 7 p.c of children and 15 p.c of adults have gotten the 2025-2026 shot up to now in the US, a lower from earlier years. That could possibly be partly as a result of well being officers within the Trump administration have restricted entry to the most recent COVID-19 vaccine.
