WASHINGTON (CN) — A trio of studies released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer new insights into the benefits of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, a timely update as schools open across the country and infections in children reach new heights.
The findings include a decrease in hospitalization among the fully vaccinated, an increase in hospitalization and death for the unvaccinated, and strong prevention against the rapidly spreading delta variant for those who got the mRNA vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer.
The three studies were released alongside a White House coronavirus task force briefing Friday which featured a grim update from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky: the seven-day average for new daily cases is above 176,000, new hospitalizations are above 11,000 and deaths continue at a rate of over 1,000 per day.
But the new research, Walensky said, offers hope.
“Vaccinations work,” she said in the virtual briefing. “We have the scientific tools we need to turn the corner on this pandemic.”
Among the most eye-popping confirmation of the efficacy of vaccines was a 13-state study of just under 600,000 cases between April and July, just as the delta variant took hold of the country. Results show the unvaccinated were nearly five times as likely to catch the virus, 10 times as likely to be hospitalized and 11 times as likely to die during treatment.
A second study examined the efficacy of mRNA vaccines - the two-shot jabs made by Moderna and Pfizer - at five Veterans Affairs medical centers. With a protection rate of 87%, the study found the two vaccines “remain highly effective, including during periods of widespread circulation of the” delta variant.
The third study released Friday examined the efficacy of vaccines against the delta variant at emergency rooms, urgent care clinics and hospitals in nine states from June through August. Among the 32,867 medical encounters examined in the study, all three vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S. – the third being Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine – were found to be highly successful, with a collective 86% effectiveness in preventing hospitalization. Moderna performed the best at 95%, followed by Pfizer with 80% and Johnson & Johnson at 60%.
“To protect against any variant, get vaccinated,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who also spoke at Friday’s briefing and has long been the face of the fight against Covid-19.
Fauci spoke to the existence of other variants developing around the world. He listed several, but said delta continues to be the most dominant strain in the United States, accounting for about 99% of new cases.
While the briefing offered some hopeful insights into the long-term fight against the virus, Walensky offered a warning for those who are resisting vaccination as schools open up around the country: “communities with higher vaccination rates have lower hospitalization rates among children.”
The briefing comes amid a new wave of children being hospitalized in states with low vaccination rates. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association released data last week showing children make up over 15% of new infections and almost 4% of new hospitalizations.
“As of September 2, over 5 million children have tested positive for Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic,” the two groups said in a statement. “About 252,000 cases were added the past week, the largest number of child cases in a week since the pandemic began.”
“After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially, with over 750,000 cases added between August 5 and September 2,” they added.
Though severe illness due to Covid-19 continues to be uncommon among children, the groups warned more data is needed before a firm determination on the virus’s impact on youth, including on long-term physical, emotional and mental health, can be reached.
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