Second booster dose resulted in 123,869 fewer hospitalizations and 5,524 fewer deaths versus single-dose campaign<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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TUESDAY, March 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Annual administration of a second dose of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine five months after the initial dose results in fewer hospitalizations and deaths, according to a study published online March 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Chad R. Wells, Ph.D., from the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of an annual SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign in an age-structured dynamic transmission model in the United States; the intervention included SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with an age-specific uptake similar to that of influenza vaccination.<\/p>\n The researchers found that in an annual vaccination campaign, the optimal timing between the first and second vaccine dose delivered to children younger than 2 years and adults aged 50 years and older was estimated to be five months. A second booster dose resulted in 123,869 fewer hospitalizations and 5,524 fewer deaths compared with a single-dose campaign, averting $3.63 billion in costs over one year.<\/p>\n “Our study shows that adopting an annual vaccination campaign with the provision of a second dose to children younger than 2 years and adults aged 50 years or older can be a suitable approach to protect individuals against SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated outcomes,” the authors write.<\/p>\n