CDC Updates COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines for Those Over 65

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for those over 65 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 more groups) are now encouraged to get two shots a year.
• Doctors applaud the update.

There have been a number of changes to recommendations around the COVID-19 vaccine since the original shots rolled out several years ago. And with the latest COVID-19 variant XEC making itself known, it’s important to get vaccinated. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new guidance for the COVID-19 vaccine for those over 65 years old and/or immunocompromised.

It provides specific recommendations on the updated COVID-19 vaccine for people who are 65 and up, as well as those who are moderately and severely immunocompromised—and doctors are on board with them. “I love these recommendations,” says Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York. “There is good data to support them.”

Meet the experts: Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York; infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

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

The CDC’s new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations suggest a second dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine for people who are 65+, as well as those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. Meaning, those who qualify receive two shots a year.

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

There are a few reasons why the CDC is recommending two vaccines a year for these groups.

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

The COVID-19 vaccine’s protection usually lasts four to six months, which isn’t enough for people who are vulnerable to serious complications from the virus, Dr. Russo says. “That’s also true with the flu vaccine,” he says. “If high-risk individuals get a shot in the fall, that level of protection will start to fade away at that four- to six-month mark and will leave them unprotected for the rest of the year.”

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

The CDC has a full list of underlying conditions that are considered high-risk. Those include (but aren’t limited to):

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

As of now, CDC guidance for the updated COVID-19 vaccine is consistent for everyone else. Meaning, if you’re under 65 and aren’t immunocompromised, the CDC recommends getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine once a year. Unlike the flu vaccine, the CDC doesn’t suggest getting an updated vaccine by a certain date—instead, the health organization wants you to get it ASAP.

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

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