The researchers estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) against long COVID in children aged 5 to 17 years. Though severe COVID-19 cases are less common in children than in adults, persistent symptoms in children do occur.
That suggests that it was changes in gay and bisexual men's sexual behaviors, not the vaccine, that caused the outbreak to subside, researchers concluded.
Those who received at least two vaccinations and had fewer repeat infections, and those who were infected with later variants of SARS-CoV-2 had lower measures of cognitive decline.
...A new CDC report finds that the updated (2023-2024) COVID-19 vaccines cut the risk in half for visiting the emergency department, urgent care, or being hospitalized with COVID-19 for most people.
Researchers also found that vaccination against Covid, with either mRNA or viral vector shot, reduced the risk of developing a new autoimmune disease. They did not spell out in the study exactly how much vaccines reduced the risk of AIRDs.
Officials generally are pleased if a flu vaccine is 40% to 60% effective.
The shots tend to do better when they are well matched against the circulating flu strains. Officials say that’s what’s happened during this — relatively typical — flu season.
The recommendation was approved by CDC Director Mandy Cohen, allowing the United States to join Canada and the United Kingdom in offering a spring booster this year to people at high risk of severe disease if they contract Covid.
