COVID VACCINE INFOGRAPHIC SOFTWARE

†† This work was reviewed by CDC and VSD sites §§ and was conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy.

COVID VACCINE INFOGRAPHIC SOFTWARE

All analyses were conducted using SAS statistical software (version 9.4 SAS Institute). Analytical units were aggregated counts of deaths and person-years by vaccination status, age, sex, race and ethnicity, and VSD site. SMRs and aRRs by age, sex, and race and ethnicity were also calculated, adjusting for other demographic characteristics. Poisson models were used to calculate overall aRRs and 95% CIs adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, and VSD site. Overall SMRs were reported separately for Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen vaccines. Standardized mortality rates (SMRs) (deaths per 100 person-years) were calculated and compared with a rate ratio test between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups ( 6) a population of VSD members who were enrolled in December 2020 was used as the standard population. Non–COVID-19 deaths were those that did not occur within 30 days of an incident COVID-19 diagnosis or receipt of a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) via reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction or rapid test. In this study, non–COVID-19 deaths were assessed because a protective effect of COVID-19 vaccination for COVID-19–related deaths was expected. Separate unvaccinated groups were selected for mRNA and Janssen vaccines.** Deaths were identified through VSD, which captures hospital deaths and deaths reported to health plans.

To ensure comparable health care–seeking behavior among persons who received a COVID-19 vaccine and those who did not (unvaccinated persons), eligible unvaccinated persons were selected from among those who received ≥1 dose of influenza vaccine in the last 2 years. ¶ Person-time for unvaccinated persons included unvaccinated person-time before COVID-19 vaccination among COVID-19 vaccinees, and unvaccinated person-time of persons who did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine by May 31, 2021. Index dates were assigned to all persons on the basis of the distribution of vaccination dates among vaccinated persons. In this cohort study of VSD members aged ≥12 years, vaccination status through was determined. VSD, a collaborative project between CDC’s Immunization Safety Office and nine health care organizations, collects electronic health data, including information on vaccines, for specific studies. This finding reinforces the safety profile of currently approved COVID-19 vaccines in the United States.

There is no increased risk for mortality among COVID-19 vaccine recipients. The aRR after receipt of the Janssen vaccine was 0.54 (95% CI = 0.49–0.59). After adjusting for demographic characteristics and VSD site, this study found that adjusted relative risk (aRR) of non–COVID-19 mortality for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 0.41 (95% confidence interval = 0.38–0.44) after dose 1 and 0.34 (95% CI = 0.33–0.36) after dose 2. § After standardizing mortality rates by age and sex, this study found that COVID-19 vaccine recipients had lower non–COVID-19 mortality than did unvaccinated persons. To assess mortality not associated with COVID-19 (non–COVID-19 mortality) after COVID-19 vaccination in a general population setting, a cohort study was conducted during December 2020–July 2021 among approximately 11 million persons enrolled in seven Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) sites. A cohort study of 19,625 nursing home residents found that those who received an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) had lower all-cause mortality than did unvaccinated residents ( 5), but no studies comparing mortality rates within the general population of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons have been conducted. However, daily vaccination rates have declined approximately 78% since Ap† vaccine safety concerns have contributed to vaccine hesitancy ( 4). By September 21, 2021, an estimated 182 million persons in the United States were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.* Clinical trials indicate that Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2), Moderna (mRNA-1273), and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson Ad.26.COV2.S) vaccines are effective and generally well tolerated ( 1– 3).

Covid vaccine infographic