According to a research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations are 89 percent efficient in reducing hospitalizations in covid-19 cases and 91 percent effective in preventing emergency department or urgent care visits.
The two-dose mRNA vaccine was likewise shown to be 90% effective in avoiding ICU admission in the trial. Individuals who only received the first dose of the vaccine had considerably decreased efficacy.
Titled “Effectiveness of covid-19 Vaccines in Preventing Ambulatory and Inpatient Care”, the study involved data from nearly 200 hospitals around the US, covering 45,000 medical encounters.
The real-world evidence gathered from electronic health records (EHRs) demonstrates that the vaccines provide high levels of protection for populations disproportionately affected by the virus, including older adults and minorities.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with six U.S. healthcare systems plus the Regenstrief Institute, to create the VISION network to assess covid-19 vaccine effectiveness. The data covered 45,000 medical encounters.
“They (vaccines) offer significant protections for people older than 85, people with chronic medical conditions, as well as Black and Hispanic adults. All are groups who have been hit particularly hard by this disease. We hope this information will convince more people to get vaccinated to protect not only themselves, but their community,” said lead author Mark Thompson, member of the CDC covid-19 Response Team.
The single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine was found to be 73% effective against emergency department and urgent care visits, and 68% against hospitalizations. However, the authors note the smaller sample size may affect the precision of these estimates and state that more data is needed, the scientists said.
“This real-world evidence corroborates the results of clinical trials and provides even more confidence in the vaccines,” said paper author Shaun Grannis, Regenstrief vice president for data and analytics and Indiana University School of Medicine professor of family medicine. “This study is an excellent example of how EHR data can be leveraged for public health, and how collaboration between health entities can provide new and beneficial insights,” said Grannis.
