In one study, researchers analyzed hospitalizations and visits to emergency departments and urgent care clinics in 10 states from Aug. 26, 2021, to Jan. 5, 2022. Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization with the Omicron variant fell to just 57 percent in people who had received their second dose more than six months earlier, the authors found. Booster doses provided much larger gains in protection among people ages 65 and older, followed by those ages 50 to 64, the study found. The researchers did not offer data on the benefits of the shots in younger people. Full vaccination and boosters were less protective against the Omicron variant than against Delta.

Source: New York Times January 22, 2022 19:31 UTC