COVID-19 & older adults
Age remains the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, with risk of severe outcomes increasing markedly with increasing age.¹
What to know about COVID-19 & older adults
Older adults have accounted for most COVID-19-related hospitalizations.¹
Older adults have the highest rates of COVID-19 ICU admissions.
During a sampling period from January - June 2023, individuals aged ≥65 years accounted for 61.3% of all intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and 87.9% of in-hospital deaths occurring during COVID-19-associated hospitalizations.²
More than 81% of COVID deaths occur in people aged 65 or older.
The number of deaths among people aged 65 and older is 97x higher than among people ages 18-29 years.¹ COVID-19 is now the 6th leading cause of death in adults aged 65 and older and is estimated to have caused over 770,000 deaths in this age group through August 11, 2024 - more deaths than causes such as diabetes, accidents, or chronic liver disease.³
Undervaccination in older adults
Over 95% of adults hospitalized in 2023-2024 due to COVID-19 had no record of receiving the latest COVID-19 vaccine.⁴
COVID-19 vaccination rates in adults 65 and older have decreased by about 59% despite the ongoing risk of severe outcomes between July 1 - July 27, 2024.⁵
Age group | Have ever received a COVID vaccination | Received the 2023-2024 vaccine |
---|---|---|
65+ years | 90.4% | 37.4% |
During a CDC data collection period running from July 1 - July 27, 2024:⁵
- Only 37.4% of adults aged 65 and older had received a 2023-2024 COVID vaccine.
- 27.7% of adults in this age group said they would probably not or definitely not get an updated vaccine - and only 37.7% said they were concerned about COVID-19.⁵
Regardless of age, unvaccinated patients hospitalized for COVID-19 experienced longer hospital stays, higher rates of ICU admission, and a higher rate of mechanical ventilation than vaccinated patients.⁶
Cumulative rates of COVID-19 associated hospitalizations by age group, 2023-24⁷
Hospitalization rate per 100,000
Surveillance month
Last updated: 08/08/2024
Patients are 4-5x more likely to get vaccinated after a strong recommendation from their healthcare provider.⁸
Your recommendation can motivate adults to get a COVID-19 vaccination.⁸Older adults in long-term care facilities (LTCFs)
Residents of long-term care facilities (aka nursing home residents) have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.⁹ Factors including age, comorbidities, and living in communal environments can put them at a heightened risk for infection and severe outcomes related to COVID-19, including death.¹⁰
By the numbers (as of the week ending 7/28/2024):¹¹
- Only 31% of LTCF residents were up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
- Only 10% of LTCF workers were up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
As of August 4, 2024:
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Footnotes
References
- Centers for Disease Control, "People with Certain Medical Conditions and COVID-19 Risk Factors." Updated June 24, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/covid/risk-factors/index.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations Among U.S. Adults Aged ≥65 Years — COVID-NET, 13 States, January-August 2023.” Accessed August 6, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7240a3.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “CDC Wonder.” Updated August 4, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D176;jsessionid=EF4FEAC4108118FC5F9C4A80C800
- Centers for Disease Control, “Respiratory Viruses and Older Adults.“ Updated March 1, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/risk-factors/older-adults.html
- Centers for Disease Control, “COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Vaccine Confidence Among Adults.” Updated August 16, 2024. Accessed October 22, 2024.https://www.cdc.gov/covidvaxview/interactive/adults.html
- Somani ST, et al., “Impact of Vaccination on Cost and Course of Hospitalization Associated with COVID-19 Infection,” Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology, Vol. 3(1), 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9879923/
- Centers for Disease Control, "COVID-NET." Updated May 30, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/covid/php/covid-net/index.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Chapter 6: Vaccine Administration.” Updated April 8, 2024. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/pinkbook/hcp/table-of-contents/chapter-6-vaccine-administration.html
- Centers for Disease Control, “Underlying Conditions and the Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19.” Updated July 30, 2024. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/clinical-care/underlying-conditions.html
- Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, "Outbreak Considerations for Long-Term Care Facilities," 2023. https://files.asprtracie.hhs.gov/documents/aspr-tracie-covid-19-long-term-care-considerations-toolkit-final.pdf
- National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC), “Nursing Home COVID-19 Vaccination Data Dashboard.” Accessed August 7, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/covid19/ltc-vaccination-dashboard.html
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “COVID-19 Nursing Home Data.” Updated August 22, 2024. Accessed August 22, 2024. https://data.cms.gov/covid-19/covid-19-nursing-home-data
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