Neglected benefits
A team of researchers, led by epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Aly at the St. Louis VA, investigated major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and deaths that lacked confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses. In this analysis, the advantages of COVID-19 vaccines appeared to be more pronounced, indicating that some cases of COVID-19 may have gone undetected or unreported. The vaccines seemed to reduce the incidence of MACE from 382 to 358 per 10,000 people, while death rates declined from 223 to 207.
“If we apply these estimates to a hypothetical population of 1 million individuals, vaccination could potentially prevent around 2,370 MACE events and 1,580 deaths over an eight-month timeframe,” the researchers cautioned, noting the need for careful interpretation of these results.
However, the study has its limitations. The majority of the US veteran demographic is older, predominantly White, and male, which means these findings may not be applicable to the broader population. Nonetheless, the results suggest that vaccines continue to provide cardiovascular protection against COVID-19, an important consideration for those contemplating an annual booster. An additional study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that vaccines still effectively protect against COVID-19, cutting the risk of hospitalization and severe illness by 35 percent and 41 percent, respectively.
In an accompanying editorial, Robert Califf, a cardiologist and former FDA commissioner, stated that the findings from both studies “demonstrate compelling evidence of a favorable benefit-risk balance for updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters across the population.” He expressed concern, however, that despite this evidence, national opinions are being influenced by the “general anti-vaccination sentiments from the US Department of Health and Human Services,” led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been criticized for his anti-vaccine stance.
Data shows that only 17.5 percent of adults and 22.6 percent of those over 65 in the US have received the COVID shot for the 2025–2026 period. “The politicization of COVID-19 vaccination, particularly regarding messenger RNA vaccines, has negatively impacted the health and life quality of many in the US,” Califf pointed out. He urged researchers to gather more data on the benefits of the vaccine and to actively communicate these findings to the public, especially through social media, to counter the anti-vaccine narrative.
