A new large-scale study of over 1 million U.S. veterans found that the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine significantly lowered the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke.
Researchers analyzed electronic health records from September to December 2024, comparing those who received the COVID-19 vaccine with the flu shot to those who received only the flu shot. Approximately 350,000 received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Eight months later, the COVID-19 vaccine group had a 37.7% lower risk of major cardiovascular events. The benefit was statistically significant only in people older than 75, who saw 5.5 fewer events per 10,000. Protection was even stronger for those with existing health conditions, but also present in those without.
Broader analysis found that the vaccine was associated with 24 fewer all-cause cardiovascular events, 30 fewer hospitalizations, and 16 fewer deaths per 10,000 people, suggesting protection against undetected SARS-CoV-2 infections and their complications.
The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.