RSV Vaccines linked to better RSV-related outcomes among Nursing Home Residents: JAMA
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccinations were linked to improved protection against RSV-related outcomes among Medicare patients in nursing homes in the US during their first season of availability.
Vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimations are required to establish the efficacy of RSV immunizations during their first season of availability in populations at high risk for severe RSV. As a result, the purpose of this study was to compare RSV VE to RSV-related outcomes for nursing care residents.
Electronic medical claims data from September 10, 2023, to March 30, 2024, were used in this retrospective cohort research of Medicare fee-for-service enrollees. Each of the following outcomes had its own cohort: RSV-associated hospitalization, RSV-associated mortality, severe RSV-associated outcome, and RSV-associated thromboembolic event. A Medicare fee-for-service beneficiary must be 65 years of age or older, live in a US nursing home for at least one day during the study period, be continuously enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B (365 days prior to the index date), and be continuously enrolled in Part D (starting on June 21, 2023) in order to be eligible for inclusion in a cohort.
RSV-associated hospitalization, RSV-associated mortality, severe RSV-associated outcomes (admission to an intensive care unit or critical care unit, use of a medical ventilator, or RSV-associated death), and RSV-associated thromboembolic event were the primary outcomes. Claims with pertinent International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes used as the basis for RSV diagnoses and outcome definitions.
RSV VE against RSV-associated hospitalizations was 73% (95% CI, 65%-79%) of the 597 430 Medicare patients who were included (66% female; median age, 82 [IQR, 75-88] years). VE was 60% (95% CI, 35%-76%) for beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 74, 75% (95% CI, 67%-82%) for beneficiaries 75 years or older, 67% (95% CI, 55%-76%) for short-stay residents (less than 100 total days), and 80% (95% CI, 68%-87%) for long-stay residents (more than 100 cumulative days).
VE was 56% (95% CI, 39%-69%) against RSV-associated mortality, 59% (95% CI, 44%-70%) against severe RSV-associated outcomes, and 66% (95% CI, 44%-79%) against RSV-associated thromboembolic events. Overall, among US Medicare beneficiaries living in nursing homes, RSV vaccinations were linked to better RSV-associated outcomes. The results confirm that RSV immunization is helpful in lowering RSV-related illness in this high-risk group.
Source:
Wiegand, R. E., Sung, H.-M., Zhang, Y., Chavez, A. J., Hatfield, K. M., Kautz, A., Mak, J., Najdowski, M., Chen, Y., Lai, Y., Jiao, Y., Chillarige, Y., Link-Gelles, R., & Payne, A. B. (2026). Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine effectiveness in Medicare beneficiaries residing in nursing homes. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.3841
