UVA Health expert recommends COVID vaccination updates for those 65 and above

The Centers for Disease Control are recommending people over the age of 65 get the latest vaccination against COVID, and especially those over the age of 75.

“We want to make sure that people are getting the top immune response possible if and when they do see a COVID infection,” said Dr. Laurie Archbald-Pannone, a geriatrician at UVA Health. 

Dr. Archbald-Pannone recently wrote an article for The Conversation about this topic. She said the immune system’s response to COVID can fade over time and studies have shown this decline occurs more in older people. 

It has now been over three years since the first vaccines were distributed and many people may have not keep their shots up to date. 

“COVID is still out there and COVID is still causing problems,” Archbald-Pannone said. “We’ve come a long way with COVID but it’s still here and we know that age is one of the biggest risk factors for having bad outcomes from COVID infection.” 

Mortality records kept by the CDC back that up. 

• In January 2021, people over the age of 75 were dying at a rate of nearly 276 out of 100,000 individuals, compared to an average of 31.74 per 100,000 for that month.  
• A year later, the mortality rate for those over 75 dropped to nearly 190 per 100,000 with an average of 25.25 for all demographics. 
• By January 2024, the mortality rate for people over 75 was still high at 32.09 per 100,000 with an all-age average of 3 per 100,000.

“And people over 75 are ten times as likely to die if they get a COVID infection unvaccinated  than the general population,” Archbald-Pannone wrote. “Those numbers are really scary and one of the best things we can do to protect ourselves is to give our body the tools that we need to be able to fight that infection and vaccination is that tool.”

Archbald-Pannone said as people age, immune systems tend to decline in a process known as immunosenescence and regular vaccinations can help provide a boost. She acknowledged that some have side-effects related to injections and she urged people to drink lots of fluids and be hydrated when they get their shot. 

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