Approximately 81 percent of the U.S. population received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and now, researchers from Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research found that COVID-19 vaccine booster shots provide important protection against severe COVID-19 illness with hospitalization for people living with cancer.

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Dr. James M. Crawford was co-PI of the study. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes).

The retrospective cohort study, published today in JAMA Oncology, observed over 70,000 patients across four U.S. health systems — including Northwell — and examined the effectiveness of both the monovalent (original) and bivalent (updated) COVID-19 boosters. They found that both boosters significantly reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations.

“COVID-19 vaccines can offer another layer of protection for individuals navigating cancer treatment,” said James M. Crawford, MD, PhD, professor in the Institute of Health System Sciences at the Feinstein Institutes and co-PI of the study. “This research provides critical information for doctors and patients making decisions about COVID-19 vaccination, especially for vulnerable groups.”

The study showed that the both the monovalent and bivalent boosters reduced hospitalizations for whom by nearly 30 percent. While these boosters were effective, the study also revealed a concerning trend: booster uptake among cancer patients was lower than expected, with 69 percent receiving the monovalent booster and only 38 percent receiving the bivalent booster.

“Dr. Crawford and his team’s research provides vital knowledge that could help protect the health and well-being of immunocompromised people, like those living with cancer,” said Ping Wang, MD, professor and chief scientific officer and senior vice president at the Feinstein Institutes. “This study highlights the value of vaccination, particularly for those most vulnerable to serious illnesses.”

The study also compared the effectiveness of the boosters in cancer patients to their effectiveness in people without compromised immune systems. While the percentage reduction in hospitalizations was similar between the two groups, the number of people who needed to be vaccinated to prevent a single hospitalization was much smaller for cancer patients.

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.

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