Study calls for annual COVID-19 vaccine

Children younger than two years and adults aged 50 years and older who received a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine five months after getting the first vaccine were less likely to be hospitalized or die, according to a study. Published last week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study found that receiving a second booster resulted in 123,869 fewer hospitalizations and 5,524 fewer deaths compared with receiving one shot. The authors estimated the total costs saved over a single year at $3.63 billion to $3.69 billion. They conclude the U.S. should adopt an annual vaccination campaign ─ with children younger than two years and adults aged 50 years and older receiving a second dose five months after the first ─ to protect the population from COVID-19.