A Comparison of COVID-19 Associated Hospitalization Rates Among Unvaccinated Versus Vaccinated Residents in Rhode Island, September 2022 to March 2024.

Publisher: Rhode Island Medical Society Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101605827 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2327-2228 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03637913 NLM ISO Abbreviation: R I Med J (2013) Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Providence, RI : Rhode Island Medical Society, [2013]-

Hospitalization*/statistics & numerical data ; COVID-19*/prevention & control ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; COVID-19 Vaccines*; Humans ; Rhode Island/epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Adult ; Male ; Aged ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Vaccination/statistics & numerical data ; Child

While the burden of COVID-19 in Rhode Island has diminished since 2020, Rhode Islanders' health continues to be severely impacted. We compared COVID-19 hospitalization rates among Rhode Islanders who did and did not receive the latest COVID-19 vaccination for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 COVID-19 seasons (November through March). Crude and age-adjusted rate ratios were calculated for each season comparing hospitalization rates of unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals. During the 2022-2023 season, individuals who were not vaccinated with the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine were 3.6 times (95% CI=2.8-4.6) more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than individuals who received the vaccine, whereas during the 2023-2024 season, not receiving the updated vaccine was associated with a 2.4 times (95% CI=1.8-3.3) higher risk of hospitalization. The study provides the first assessment of the protection from hospitalization provided by COVID-19 vaccinations among Rhode Islanders and highlights the importance of continued vaccination for COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Rhode Island; Vaccine effectiveness; hospitalizations; public health

0 (COVID-19 Vaccines)

Date Created: 20240625 Date Completed: 20240625 Latest Revision: 20240625

20240626

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