Annual COVID-19 vaccination turns out to be a wise investment for personal health and household finances

In a recent study published in infectious disease journal, a team of United States (US) researchers has found that morbidity and mortality associated with the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is reduced; Given the decline, we sought to understand whether individuals experienced any economic benefit from getting vaccinated each year. The government will no longer cover the cost of the vaccine.

Study: What are the economic benefits of annual COVID-19 vaccination from the adult individual perspective? Image credit: eamesBot / Shutterstock

background

The rapid development of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has significantly reduced the severity of the disease and helped limit transmission of the virus. Subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to emerge and spread, but the virus appears to be becoming less virulent and transmissible thanks to the protection afforded by massive vaccination efforts around the world. is.

Due to declining hospitalization and mortality rates, COVID-19 is no longer considered a significant public health risk, leading to significant declines in vaccination rates across the United States. Additionally, employment organizations and businesses are no longer required to administer a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. With the government no longer subsidizing the cost of vaccines, individuals must pay for their COVID-19 booster shots out of pocket or through insurance. However, a gradual decline in vaccination coverage and a decline in infection-induced immunity may affect the control of viral infection and severity.

About research

In this study, researchers looked at the benefits of annual COVID-19 vaccinations, similar to influenza vaccines, from the perspective of third-party payers and society, which has already been examined in previous studies. This was considered from a personal perspective. . The researchers believe that while the results of this study may not contribute to recommendations or decisions by governments or insurance companies, they may help individuals assess the benefits of getting vaccinated against the coronavirus each year from their own perspective. There is.

In this study, we developed and used a Markov computational simulation model to evaluate the value and trade-offs of annual vaccination. The model used eight mutually exclusive states of SARS-CoV-2 infection and each state's economic and clinical outcomes.

The state in which an individual begins is already protected from previous vaccinations and infections and is not infected. The model calculates the probability that an individual will develop COVID-19 status based on factors such as risk of infection, probability of clinical outcome based on age, and existing level of protection. The model also calculates the probability of becoming non-infectious or developing long-term COVID-19 infection based on different levels of symptoms, from asymptomatic to severe.

These probabilities are calculated twice for each individual. The first time was the annual COVID-19 vaccination, and he has not received the other one. Mild to severe side effects and variations in vaccine efficacy are also factors that are incorporated into the model. Economic indicators are calculated based on factors such as lost productivity due to missed vaccinations, mortality rates, out-of-pocket costs, presenteeism, medical visits, and medication. Cost-effectiveness was calculated for each scenario. Sensitivity analyzes were also performed for different disease severities based on different SARS-CoV-2 variants.

result

These results suggest that individuals can benefit both clinically and economically by getting vaccinated against COVID-19 annually. According to the model, adults between the ages of 18 and 49 would save an average of $30 to $603 if they didn't have health insurance, compared to $4 to $4 for uninsured people in the same age group. It turns out you can save $437.

These estimates are based on the assumption that the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 starts at 50% or higher efficacy, that an individual has approximately 9 contacts per day, and that the probability of infection is 0.2% or higher. , the infection rate was 10%, and the conditions were those during the winter of 2023-2024, when the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 emerged.

The average financial benefit for individuals ages 50 to 64 was even greater, with savings of $119 to $1,706 and $111 to $1,278 for insured and uninsured individuals, respectively. Furthermore, if his last vaccination was 9 months earlier and his existing protection remained 13.4%, the model showed that the risk threshold was 0.4% or higher.

conclusion

Overall, this study found that annual COVID-19 vaccines are economically and clinically beneficial for individuals with and without health insurance. The economic value of COVID-19 vaccination was higher for individuals aged 50 to 64.