Some adults 65 and over won’t get new COVID shot. Here’s why — and what experts think

Julia Marnin
·5 min read
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Less than half of people 65 and older haven’t gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccines targeting the omicron variant as of May 10.

Now, a survey from Health Canal suggests possible reasons why adults of this age — considered the most at risk of severe COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — may not be getting the newer shots.

While most adults 65 and over surveyed said the odds of them getting the updated vaccines made by Pfizer or Moderna are “likely,” 18.93%, or “very likely,” 38.26%, other respondents answered differently.

Other adults, 18.04%, said they were “neutral” on whether they plan to get the newer shots, while 7.33% said it was “unlikely” and 17.44% said it was “very unlikely” they would do so, according to the survey, which involved 1,113 participants.

The survey respondents cited worries about their personal safety as one of the top reasons for both getting or not getting the newer shots.

Their responses were collected on April 22, a few days after the Food and Drug Administration announced that the original COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna are no longer authorized in the U.S.

The companies’ newer vaccines, which are made up of the original vaccine and a second component targeting the omicron variant, have now become the companies’ main dose for people 6 months and older. Specifically, the second component targets omicron BA.4 and BA.5.

Why are some adults 65 and older not getting the updated shots?

All adults surveyed were previously vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the survey report.

Among the adults surveyed who said it was “unlikely” or “very unlikely” they’d get the updated COVID-19 vaccines, the top five reasons behind this were:

  • Not knowing whether the newly formulated vaccine was safe (40.73%)

  • Worries over potential vaccine side effects (31.05%)

  • Skepticism about the effectiveness about the new vaccines’ formulas (27.82%)

  • Believing they’re still strongly protected against COVID-19 (29.44%)

  • Believing that they’re still strongly protected against a severe COVID-19 infection (20.56%)

Meanwhile, top reasons for getting shots, according to Health Canal, are:

  • Protection from the new omicron variants (88.89%)

  • Protection against severe COVID-19 infection (69.97%)

  • Wanting to protect others (63.02%)

  • Preventing long COVID (60.86%)

  • Following CDC recommendations (53.82%)

The Health Canal survey has some limitations, however, including that most participants surveyed were white with most respondents from California, Florida and Texas.

The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3.158%, Health Canal founder Erik Pham confirmed to McClatchy News.

Safety and side effects of updated, bivalent vaccines

The safety of both Pfizer and Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccines is based on an FDA analysis of clinical trial data of both companies’ original vaccines, as well as data on an “investigational” bivalent vaccine composed of the original shots’ formula and omicron BA.1.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC, the updated COVID-19 vaccines are safe — and while serious side effects are possible, they’re considered rare, just like with any vaccine.

Similar to other vaccines, some side effects from the updated COVID-19 vaccines, according to HHS, include a sore arm and flu-like symptoms, including fever, headaches, body aches, fatigue.

HHS says these are typical signs of an immune system response following the updated vaccine.

Four rare “adverse events” — which can be “caused by the vaccine or can be caused by a coincidental event not related to the vaccine” — were identified by the CDC.

These include:

  • Anaphylaxis (allergic reaction)

  • Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome

  • Myocarditis and pericarditis

  • Guillain-Barré Syndrome

In January, the CDC reported that, for Pfizer’s updated vaccine, a preliminary, potential safety concern was identified regarding adults 65 and older.

The agency’s Vaccine Safety Datalink discovered for this age group, there may be a potential increase in having an ischemic stroke 21 days after getting Pfizer’s new shot. It was ultimately concluded that it’s unlikely there’s a “true clinical risk” and more investigation is needed.

“Undoubtedly, the risk of a whole series of adverse events, including hospitalization, is much, much greater with COVID-19 than it is from the vaccine,” Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University professor specializing in infectious diseases and preventive medicine and a member of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Covid-19 Vaccine Work Group, told CNN in January.

Updated vaccines’ effectiveness and protection from COVID-19

In the U.S., an array of different omicron subvariants are currently circulating, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed over time, CDC data shows.

“It is clear that with the evolution of the virus, the vaccines do not protect from infection, but vaccines do provide excellent immunity that prevents hospitalization and deaths, especially in the elderly,” Dr. Shiv Pillai, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Health Canal.

A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-supported study found the newer vaccines are more effective than original shots against omicron when examining North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data.

Researchers studied data on 300,000 North Carolina residents vaccinated with the original booster shot between May through August 2022 compared with data on over 1 million state residents who received the bivalent vaccine between September and December 2022.

Ultimately, it was discovered the newer shots were 62% more effective at preventing a severe COVID-19 illness while the original boosters were only 25% effective.

“In total, the bivalent boosters were 37% more effective in preventing hospitalization and death,” the NIH said of the research.

“A second bivalent dose for individuals 65 years of age and older is supported by data showing the waning of immunity in this population over time and its restoration by an additional dose,” the FDA says.

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