Latest COVID shot offers 54% protection, CDC study finds

The latest COVID-19 shot offers 54% increased protection for adults against becoming infected with the virus, according to a new study released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, shows the shot approved in September provides protection against both the strain of the virus that it was originally created to target and the more recent COVID lineages and mutations currently circulating nationwide.

Dr. Bruce Hirsch, a Northwell Health infectious disease specialist, said the CDC findings are encouraging and should prompt more New Yorkers to receive the latest booster. To date, less than 10% of Long Islanders have received the shot, data shows.

But Hirsch acknowledges that the study has limitations, including a lack of data on how effective the booster is at preventing severe COVID illness, including hospitalization and death.

“The fact that it shows efficacy … is very reassuring and leads us to believe that it’s very likely effective in preventing the worst consequences of COVID,” he said.

The nationwide study looked at more than 9,200 people with COVID-like symptoms who were tested for the virus at CVS pharmacies or Walgreens locations between Sept. 21 and Jan. 14. Nearly 3,300 of those patients tested positive for the virus, researchers found.

Among those who received their booster seven to 59 days earlier, the vaccine was 58% effective in preventing symptomatic infection, the data shows. Meanwhile, the booster was 49% effective among those who received their shot 60 to 119 days earlier, the report found.

“Waning of effectiveness is expected with additional elapsed time since vaccination, especially against less severe disease,” the report states. “CDC will continue to monitor trends in [vaccine effectiveness].”