COVID-19 Vaccines Linked to Lower CV Risk and Strong Protection Against Severe Disease: Study
USA: Recent studies found that COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), particularly among older adults. The 2024–2025 vaccines also demonstrated effectiveness in preventing COVID-related emergency care visits, hospitalizations, and critical illness. Among older adults who received the 2025–2026 vaccine, overall effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was estimated at 59%.
These findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccination provides benefits beyond infection prevention, including potential cardiovascular protection and reduced risk of severe outcomes.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19-related major adverse cardiovascular events among US veterans, with the greatest benefit seen in older adults and those with comorbidities.
The study, led by Miao Cai and colleagues, used US Department of Veterans Affairs electronic health records to evaluate the cardiovascular effects of the updated vaccine in the context of evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants and widespread immunity.
The analysis included 1,039,659 veterans who received an influenza vaccine between September and December 2024. Of these, 349,085 also received the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine on the same day, while 690,574 received only the influenza vaccine. The mean age was 70 years, and 91.8% of participants were men.
The primary outcome was COVID-19-associated MACE, defined as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure linked to COVID-19. Secondary outcomes included all-cause MACE, hospitalization, and death.
Key findings:
- At 8 months of follow-up, receipt of the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a 37.7% reduction in the risk of COVID-19-associated MACE compared with influenza vaccination alone.
- The vaccine was associated with approximately 2 fewer COVID-19-associated cardiovascular events per 10,000 individuals.
- The greatest benefit was observed among adults aged 75 years and older, in whom vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-associated MACE was 50.7%.
- Among adults aged 75 years or older, vaccination was associated with 5.5 fewer COVID-19-associated MACE events per 10,000 individuals.
- No statistically significant reduction in COVID-19-associated MACE was observed among participants younger than 75 years.
- Relative reductions in cardiovascular risk were seen in participants both with and without comorbidities, but the absolute benefits were substantially greater among those with underlying health conditions.
- The vaccine was also associated with reductions in broader outcomes, including all-cause MACE, all-cause hospitalization, and all-cause mortality.
- For all-cause MACE, vaccination was associated with an estimated reduction of 23.7 events per 10,000 individuals, indicating benefits beyond preventing recognized COVID-19-related cardiovascular complications.
The authors noted that the predominantly older, male, and White study population may limit generalizability. Residual confounding could not be ruled out, and the study did not assess variant-specific effectiveness, vaccine interactions, or adverse events.
The researchers concluded that the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19-related major adverse cardiovascular events, especially among older adults and those with comorbidities. The greater reductions in all-cause cardiovascular events, hospitalizations, and deaths suggest broader health benefits and support the continued use of updated COVID-19 vaccines.
Reference:
Cai M, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z. 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccine and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events Among US Veterans. JAMA Intern Med. Published online June 15, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.1929
Next Story