COVID-19 Vaccination - Ages 65+

COVID-19 Vaccination - Ages 65+ in United States

United States

Vaccination can prevent or lessen COVID-19 symptoms and severe illness. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older. The vaccine and booster combination continues to decrease risk of hospitalization and death for those who contract COVID-19. Those who have already contracted COVID-19 are still encouraged to get the vaccine and the booster to build continued protection.

Vaccination also helps protect the community and at-risk populations, which is critical to reducing the number of new deaths due to COVID-19.

Populations of older adults with a higher prevalence of full COVID-19 vaccination include:

• Older men compared with older women.
• Older Asian, Hispanic and white adults compared with older American Indian/Alaska Native adults.

Vaccine clinics and online vaccine connectors have helped administer more than 671 million vaccine doses in the United States as of February 23, 2023. People and organizations across many different areas are working together to increase uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Public Education Campaign is a national program that works to increase public awareness around, and confidence in, COVID-19 vaccines. The effort is driven by communication science and provides tailored information for different audiences. The COVID-19 Community Corps launched in April 2021 and now has over 17,000 members across the country helping to promote the vaccine in their communities.

Kriss, Jennifer L., Mei-Chuan Hung, Anup Srivastav, Carla L. Black, Megan C. Lindley, James T. Lee, Ram Koppaka, et al. “COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage, by Race and Ethnicity — National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module, United States, December 2020–November 2021.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 71, no. 23 (June 10, 2022): 757–63. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7123a2.