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Respiratory syncytial virus vial.
Mangorol | istock | Getty Images
Vaccinate 1 million adults age 65 and over with a single shot of RSV Pfizer or GSK It could prevent thousands of hospitalizations over two seasons of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis.
A CDC medical officer provided the analysis, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, VA Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday. The panel recommended that adults age 60 or older may receive a single dose of respiratory syncytial virus vaccine from Pfizer or GSK after consulting with a physician.
The analysis found that vaccinating 1 million adults 65 and older with a single dose of the Pfizer jab could prevent 2,500 hospitalizations and 25,000 outpatient visits over two seasons of the virus.
The RSV season typically lasts from October to March in the Northern Hemisphere.
The analysis also found that vaccinating 1 million adults in the same age group with a single dose of GSK could prevent nearly 2,300 hospitalizations and 23,000 outpatient visits.
The estimated number of prevented outcomes is lower for adults ages 60 to 64, according to CDC medical officer Dr. Michael Melgar. He said this was because there was “less RSV present” in that group for the vaccine to be able to prevent.
The analysis also supports the effectiveness of each newly approved shot in preventing RSV, a common respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms in most people, but causes more serious infections in the elderly and children.
Each year, RSV sickens 60,000 to 160,000 elderly people and kills 6,000 to 10,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control. data.
Pfizer and GSK on Wednesday presented long-term efficacy data at the meeting, indicating that their shots generally maintain some protection against RSV after one season with the virus.
The analysis also suggests the shots could reduce the burden of RSV on hospitals in the fall, when multiple respiratory viruses typically begin circulating at high levels.
In the past year, cases of RSV — along with Covid and influenza — in children and the elderly swept hospitals across the country.
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