CDC: Unvaccinated adults 3-5 times more likely to get omicron infection

According to data from 25 state and local health departments, adults who were unvaccinated against COVID-19 as the omicron variant emerged in December had nearly three times higher risk of infection than adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and five times higher risk than adults who had received a booster, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today. The highest impact of COVID-19 booster doses compared with full vaccination was recorded among persons aged 50 and older. Because of reporting lags, the influence of the omicron variant on COVID-19-associated deaths could not be evaluated by vaccination status in December, the authors note.

According to a second CDC report released today, receipt of a third vaccine dose was highly effective during both the delta- and omicron-predominant periods at preventing COVID-19-associated emergency department and urgent care visits (94% and 82%, respectively) and preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalizations (94% and 90%, respectively).