The top-up doses against covid-19 had an effect. For the elderly, it provided significantly better protection against serious illness, according to the Public Health Agency.
The authority has investigated the vaccine’s protection against serious illness and death in the winter of 2022/2023 in older people who received a booster dose in the fall of 2022.
Among people over 65 who took a dose in the autumn, the protection against needing hospital care increased to just over 80 percent. The protection against dying with covid-19 within 30 days increased to almost 90 percent, compared to those who did not take a dose in the fall, but who received their last dose between five and nine months ago.
“The study shows that it is important that older people continue to take top-up doses against covid-19 in order to maintain a high vaccination protection against serious illness and death. Covid-19 is still spreading in society and we can count on it to continue during the summer as well,” says the Public Health Agency’s deputy head of unit Johanna Rubin in a press release.
People over 65, and adults who belong to a risk group, are recommended to take booster vaccines 1–2 times a year, according to the Public Health Agency.