TUESDAY, March 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Annual administration of a second dose of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine five months after the initial dose results in fewer hospitalizations and deaths, according to a study published online March 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Chad R. Wells, Ph.D., from the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of an annual SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign in an age-structured dynamic transmission model in the United States; the intervention included SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with an age-specific uptake similar to that of influenza vaccination.

The researchers found that in an annual vaccination campaign, the optimal timing between the first and second vaccine dose delivered to children younger than 2 years and adults aged 50 years and older was estimated to be five months. A second booster dose resulted in 123,869 fewer hospitalizations and 5,524 fewer deaths compared with a single-dose campaign, averting $3.63 billion in costs over one year.

“Our study shows that adopting an annual vaccination campaign with the provision of a second dose to children younger than 2 years and adults aged 50 years or older can be a suitable approach to protect individuals against SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated outcomes,” the authors write.

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