A recent study conducted in the United States found that the most recent variants of COVID-19 vaccines were able to prevent symptomatic infection in adults with an efficacy rate of 54%. This is the first study in the U.S. to evaluate the effectiveness of these vaccines.

Last year, the shots were released with the intention of providing improved protection against newer strains of the coronavirus.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined a group of 9,000 individuals who received COVID-19 testing at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. The study investigated their test results to determine if they had tested positive and if they had recently received the COVID-19 vaccine.

The discovery of 54% is comparable to the findings in other nations, and it also aligns with previous reports of a different version of the vaccine, according to Ruth Link-Gelles from the CDC, who is the main author of the study.

Later this year, studies will evaluate the efficacy of the shot in preventing symptoms severe enough to require medical attention, according to her statement.

According to the CDC, individuals aged 6 months and older should receive the new shots. However, a majority of Americans have yet to receive them. Based on the most recent CDC statistics, it appears that only 22% of adults and 11% of children in the U.S. have received the shots. This slow adoption rate has resulted in a delay for researchers to collect enough data to evaluate the effectiveness of the shots, as stated by Link-Gelles.

___

The Health and Science Department of the Associated Press is funded by the Science and Educational Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for the creation of all content.