Effectiveness of seasonal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination against post COVID-19 condition between July 2023 and September 2024 among adults aged ≥ 60 years in Germany: a population-based cohort study
BMC Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12879-026-13803-8
- PMID
- 42288736
- PMCID
- PMC13264817
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Cohort study
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings address vaccine-preventable PCC burden in a high-risk age group during the first post-pandemic season and are positioned as input for vaccination policy, communication, and clinical decision-making.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study investigated whether a single dose of seasonal mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during the 2023/2024 season was associated with reduced risk of post COVID-19 condition (PCC) over the following six months in older adults.
Study design
A retrospective, population-based cohort study using nationwide German outpatient claims data, analyzed with descriptive methods and Poisson regression.
Population and setting
Adults aged 60 years and older in Germany, with a total cohort of 19,121,674 individuals followed in routine outpatient care.
Main findings
PCC incidence during follow-up was low (0.2%). Vaccinated patients (18.0% of the cohort) were older (median 75 years vs. 71 years) and more often female (54%) than unvaccinated patients. One vaccine dose was associated with an adjusted risk ratio of 0.37 (95% CI 0.36-0.39) for PCC diagnosis at six months post-vaccination, corresponding to a vaccine effectiveness of 63%.
Public-health relevance
The findings address vaccine-preventable PCC burden in a high-risk age group during the first post-pandemic season and are positioned as input for vaccination policy, communication, and clinical decision-making.
Important limitations
Limitations are not explicitly enumerated in the supplied abstract; the summary is therefore restricted to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata, and the original paper is needed for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
Indexed under COVID-19, Germany, vaccination, and vaccine effectiveness, the article is discoverable for audiences seeking evidence on post-pandemic PCC prevention in older adults; it should not be interpreted as confirmation of a live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 11 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.