Bivalent Boosters Add Protection Against Symptomatic COVID-19 (During Omicron BA.4/BA.5)

Overview

Paper Summary › Explain Like I'm Five › Conflicts of Interest › Identified Limitations › Rating Explanation › Good to know › Topic Hierarchy › File Information ›

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

This study found that bivalent mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccines provided additional protection against symptomatic infection compared with previous monovalent vaccination during a period when Omicron BA.4/BA.5 lineages predominated. The benefit of the bivalent booster increased with time since the last monovalent dose.

Explain Like I'm Five

Updated COVID boosters give extra protection against getting sick, especially if it's been a while since your last shot.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified.

Identified Limitations

Self-reported data

Vaccination status, previous infection history, and underlying medical conditions were self-reported and might be subject to recall bias. This could lead to inaccurate VE estimates.

Limited duration of study

The study period was relatively short (September-November 2022) and might not capture the long-term effectiveness of the bivalent boosters, especially against newer variants.

Low bivalent booster uptake

Low acceptance of bivalent booster doses during the study period could bias the results if people getting vaccinated early differ systematically from those vaccinated later.

Lack of important data

Information about SARS-CoV-2 exposure risk and mask use was not collected, leading to potential residual confounding.

Focus on specific variants

The study focused on BA.4/BA.5 predominance. Results might not generalize to future variants.

Testing location bias

Tests were primarily conducted in areas with higher social vulnerability, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings to the broader U.S. population.

Potential testing behavior bias

Differences in testing behaviors between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals could have introduced bias.

Rating Explanation

This real-world study provides valuable initial evidence of the effectiveness of bivalent mRNA boosters against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Despite some limitations regarding self-reported data and the relatively short study period, the large sample size and focus on a specific period of variant predominance strengthen the findings. The study contributes important information for public health decision-making regarding booster recommendations.

Good to know

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Health Sciences

Field: Medicine

Subfield: Epidemiology

File Information

Original Title: Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA Vaccines in Preventing Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection - Increasing Community Access to Testing Program, United States, September-November 2022

Uploaded: September 05, 2025 at 01:47 AM

Privacy: Public