COVID-19 Booster Vaccination in the U.S. Military, August 2021–January 2022

Social and demographic factors associated with receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine initial booster dose and with interval between primary series completion and initial booster dose uptake among persons aged ≥ 12 years, United States, August 2021-October 2022

“…Age was found to be strongly associated with delayed or missing initial booster dose, which may have been influenced by age-based COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and by potential elevated risk of COVID-19 related hospitalization and death among older adults with comorbidities [ 25 , 26 ]. Younger age groups and some racial and ethnic groups may have had greater rates of COVID-19 infection prior to booster availability, and their having experienced previous natural infection may have contributed to lower uptake as previous infection was associated with lower uptake in other surveys [ 22 , 27 , 28 ]. We also found that women were more likely to have a delayed booster but less likely to miss having a booster.…”

Decreased Self-reported Physical Fitness Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection and the Impact of Vaccine Boosters in a Cohort Study

“…Our analyses indicated a lower risk of reporting these post-COVID-19 fitness complications following the receipt of a vaccine booster dose, indicating the value of vaccination even in those who are unlikely to have severe acute COVID-19 illness. This finding is particularly noteworthy given that only a minority of US military service members are currently boosted [ 19 ] and may inform future vaccine guidance in this and other populations. We also noted that even without boosting, those with a history of vaccination were less likely to report fitness loss–related symptoms compared with those who had not received vaccination before their COVID-19 illness.…”

“…COVID-19 vaccination (primary series) was mandatory for US service members from August 2021 through December 2022. Vaccine boosting remains optional (though recommended) for military personnel, and currently uptake is low [ 19 ]. Evaluating whether vaccination and boosting may protect against post-COVID fitness decrements may inform vaccination recommendations for military populations as well as other groups, including those at low risk for severe COVID-19 and in whom booster uptake has been similarly low [ 20 ].…”