Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Is Associated with Lower Risk for Pneumonia Hospitalization in Older Adults

The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) provides protection against pneumococcal disease in adults. In this cohort study, researchers determined the association between PCV13 use and hospitalization for pneumonia among 24 million U.S. Medicare beneficiaries (age, ≥65) between 2014 and 2017. Five million people received PCV13 only, and 11 million received no pneumococcal vaccine; people who received the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPS23; with or without PCV13) were excluded from this analysis.

The percentage of beneficiaries who received PCV13 increased from 1% in 2014 to 42% in 2017. After adjustment for comorbidities, PCV13 use was associated with relative reductions of 6.7% for hospitalized pneumonia, 4.7% f…