The Efficacy of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Preventing Thromboembolic Events

Overview of the Research

The recent research published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of a bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in preventing thromboembolic events. The study focused on Medicare fee-for-service enrollees and assessed the vaccine's effectiveness against the original monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.

Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine

As per the research findings, the bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine exhibited an effectiveness of 47-51% in preventing thromboembolic events. This result was consistent among different groups including Medicare enrollees aged 65 years and older, adults aged 18 years and older with end-stage renal disease receiving dialysis, and immunocompromised Medicare beneficiaries.

Comparative Analysis with Monovalent COVID-19 Vaccine

The research estimated the incremental benefit of receiving a bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine over the original monovalent COVID-19 vaccine. The study found that the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine dose showed a 47% and 51% effectiveness against COVID-19-related thromboembolic events in the respective groups compared to the original vaccine alone.

Importance of Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccination

The authors of the study emphasize the importance of adults staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccination. This is crucial to prevent complications of COVID-19, including thromboembolic events. The study suggests that bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are more effective in preventing such events, including strokes, embolisms, and heart attacks, compared to monovalent vaccines.

Observations and Recommendations

It was observed that getting a bivalent booster was associated with receiving a seasonal flu vaccine and an original monovalent booster. The study found no firm link between receipt of a Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and an increased risk for an ischemic stroke event in people aged 65 and older, a safety signal that was detected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2023.

This research highlights the efficacy of a bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in preventing thromboembolic events and underscores the importance of staying up-to-date with recommended COVID-19 vaccination. It also stresses the need for adults, particularly those over 65 and those with end-stage renal disease, to keep abreast with COVID-19 vaccination schedules to prevent severe COVID-19-related complications.