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CVS Health study shows strong protective value of COVID-19 vaccines

December 22, 2021 | Pharmacy

A healthcare professional vaccinates a patient.

A CVS Health study just published in JAMA Network Open shows that COVID-19 two-dose vaccines offer strong protection for vaccinated people. Compared with vaccinated persons, unvaccinated individuals were up to four times more likely to be infected with COVID-19.

The study also found that the effectiveness of COVID-19 two-dose vaccines against symptomatic infection gradually waned over time and ranged from 66% to 74% effective six months or longer after the second dose.

Using de-identified data, the study team analyzed 1.2 million individuals with COVID-19 symptoms who were tested between May and August 2021 at more than 4,000 CVS retail locations across the U.S. The CVS Health database is believed to be the largest national COVID-19 test dataset in the U.S.

Over the course of the pandemic, CVS Health has administered more than 41 million COVID-19 tests and 50 million COVID-19 vaccines. The company maintains a strong commitment to vaccine and testing equity with targeted initiatives to reach vulnerable populations.

“Incidence and Estimated Vaccine Effectiveness against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Patients Tested in US Retail Locations, May 1-August 7, 2021” was co-authored by Troy Brennan, MD, CVS Health Executive Vice President and CMO; Sree Chaguturu, MD, CVS Caremark Senior Vice President and CMO; Ying Tabak, PhD, Clinical Trial Services Chief Science Officer of Real-World Evidence/Epidemiology; and Xiaowu Sun, PhD, Clinical Trial Services Director of Biostatistics.