The CDC recommends 2 Covid vaccines per year for adults over 65

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for those 65 and older and people who are immunocompromised.
Older adults and people who are immunocompromised (including people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, people who are pregnant, those with cancer and several groups) are now encouraged to get two shots a year.
Doctors applaud the update.

There have been a number of changes to the recommendations around COVID 19 vaccine since the initial vaccines were released several years ago. And with the latest COVID-19 XEC variant becoming known, it is important to get vaccinated. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new guidelines for the COVID-19 vaccine for those over 65 and/or immunocompromised.

It provides specific recommendations regarding updated COVID-19 vaccine for people who are over 65, as well as those who are moderately and severely immunocompromised – and doctors agree with them. “I like these recommendations,” he says Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. “There’s good data to back them up.”

Meet the experts: Thomas Russo, MD, Professor and Chief of Infectious Diseases at the University of Buffalo in New York; expert in infectious diseases Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

So what are the new recommendations and what do they mean for the larger population? Here’s what you need to know.

What are the CDC’s new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations?

The CDC’s new COVID-19 vaccine recommendation suggests a second dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine for people who are over 65, as well as those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. That is, those who qualify get two hits a year.

“The recommendation recognizes the increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults and those who are immunocompromised, along with currently available data on vaccine efficacy and year-round circulation of COVID-19,” the guidance said. “The recommendation also provides clarity to healthcare providers about how many doses should be given per year to people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and is intended to increase coverage of this second dose for that group.”

Why are these recommendations necessary?

There are several reasons why the CDC recommends two vaccines per year for these groups.

“The recommendations reflect that the burden of severe disease is concentrated squarely in those at high risk, and current-generation vaccines do not provide lasting immunity in this group,” says the infectious disease expert. Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

The vaccine’s protection against COVID-19 typically lasts four to six months, which isn’t long enough for people who are vulnerable to serious complications from the virus, Dr. Russo says. “That is also true in this case flu vaccine“, he says. “If high-risk people get a chance in the fall, that level of protection will start to wane at that four-to-six-month interval and leave them unprotected for the rest of the year.”

Dr. Russo also points out that “COVID-19 is a year-round disease,” making year-round protection especially crucial for people who are vulnerable to severe disease.

What qualifies as “moderately or severely immunocompromised”?

The CDC has one full list of underlying conditions that are considered high risk. These include (but are not limited to):

Asthma
Cancer
Chronic kidney disease
Chronic lung disease
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Obesity
Task

What does this mean for everyone else?

As of now, CDC guidelines for the updated COVID-19 vaccine are consistent for everyone else. That is, if you’re under 65 and not immunocompromised, CDC recommend getting an updated vaccine against COVID-19 once a year. Unlike the flu shot, the CDC doesn’t suggest getting an updated vaccine by a certain date — instead, the health organization wants you to get it as soon as possible.

It’s still up in the air if everyone else will need two shots in the future. “If you’re young, healthy, and expected to have a healthy immune response, is one shot a year enough? We don’t know yet,” says Dr. Russo. “But if you’re up to date on all those vaccines you’re eligible for, your risk of developing severe illness and hospitalization is low.”

Dr. Russo stresses the importance of getting vaccinated no matter where you are on the health spectrum. “We did very poorly last year with people getting the updated vaccine,” he says. “Covid is more virulent and more lethal than the flu. The key is vaccinating people.”