More seniors than any other age group died from COVID-19 this past summer amid a disease surge fueled by COVID-19 subvariants, according to a new analysis published Thursday from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
The foundation analyzed COVID-19 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and found that death rates rose much faster for Americans older than 65, despite widespread vaccine coverage within the group.
Between April and July of 2022, the number of coronavirus-related deaths among seniors rose above 11,000 in July and August. While deaths rose for those under 65 as well, the total was about five to six times smaller for younger Americans.
In April of this year, 1,306 under the age of 65 died, according to CDC data. The monthly total for this demographic has officially dipped below that number as of September.
Two thousand more people over 65 died in September than in April. However, this number still represented a drop of about 4,500 deaths from the month of August.
The share of COVID-19 deaths within the over-65 age group has risen since the beginning of this year, from 24 percent in January to 40 percent in September.
The organization pointed to this data as an indication of the importance of continued vaccination against the coronavirus. Primary vaccination among seniors was particularly high — 95 percent — but enthusiasm for subsequent boosters has waned.
Less than 50 percent of people over 65 have gotten their second boosters and it remains unclear how many people will be getting the bivalent, omicron-specific booster.
A KFF analysis released earlier this year estimated that a quarter of COVID-19 deaths seen since the start of the pandemic could have been prevented by vaccines.
A more recent projection released this week by the Commonwealth Fund estimated that between 75,000 and 90,000 deaths could be prevented by the updated bivalent boosters if an accelerated vaccination campaign was carried out beginning this month.
