A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that the 2024–25 COVID-19 vaccines continued to protect well against severe illness, even as immunity slowly waned over time.
✅ 57% protection against hospitalization and death at 4 weeks after vaccination
✅ 45% protection against ER visits and infections
Protection drops over 5 months — strongest early on
Durable defense against the most serious complications
Researchers studied more than 237,000 Nebraskans during last year’s respiratory virus season — including multiple Omicron strains — and found similar protection across variants.
Big takeaway:
Even with waning immunity, annual vaccination remains critical, especially for people at higher risk.
Experts warn that with low vaccination rates heading into fall and winter, the combination of COVID-19, flu, and RSV could challenge hospitals again.
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Protect yourself, protect your community: stay up to date on COVID-19 and seasonal vaccines. Go. Explore. Safely.
