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Before COVID-19, you probably didn't spend much time thinking about vaccines — or hours discussing them. They were just something you had to endure when you went in for your annual
checkup. The coronavirus pandemic — and the extraordinary development of new vaccines to combat it — changed that. Suddenly, we were asking questions about how vaccines are developed, their
potential side effects and how to assess effectiveness. Experts and health care providers say much of what we've learned about the COVID-19 vaccine also applies to other recommended
vaccines, and they hope those lessons will help encourage Americans to stay up to date on all of their shots. "When people get older, we tend to see vaccination rates drop,” says Ranit
Mishori, M.D., a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. And that's discouraging, she adds, since these shots aren't just something you need until
you graduate from college. “They're also incredibly effective for older adults.” Here are seven important lessons we've learned about vaccines during COVID-19. 1. AGING MEANS YOU
NEED SOME SHOTS MORE THAN EVER. Not only have older adults proven the most vulnerable to COVID-19 — with 95 percent of all deaths from the virus occurring in those 50 and older —
they're also more susceptible to other types of illness because of how their immune system weakens with age, Mishori explains. What's more, older adults are more likely to have
other health conditions — such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure — that increase the chance of complications from a disease, whether it's COVID-19, influenza or
pneumonia. For those reasons, experts say it's crucial for older adults to get all of their recommended shots on time. The waning immunity that comes with age is also why the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends some shots just for those 65 and older, such as the pneumococcal vaccine. “It's not that you're more likely to get a
pneumococcal infection” than younger people, Mishori says. “It's that if you get one with advancing age and a weakened immune system, you are more likely to have complications.”
Shingles is another shot recommended just for older adults — specifically, those 50 and older. Caused by the same virus as chicken pox, it lays dormant in your body for decades. Then, as you
get older and your immune system weakens, it emerges with a painful, blistering rash. “Vaccines are really critical for older adults because your body isn't as adept at launching its
immune system,” Mishori says. “You need that additional kick from a vaccine.” 2. SOME WORK BETTER THAN OTHERS. It's a fact: Because of their weaker immune response, people 65 and older
also get less protection from certain vaccines. The standard flu shot, for example, has been shown to stimulate a less robust immune response in older adults. For that reason, the CDC
recommends either the adjuvanted flu vaccine or the high-dose version for people 65 and older. Both are specifically formulated to stimulate more antibodies to fight influenza. In one study,
participants age 65-plus who received the high-dose flu vaccine had 24 percent fewer influenza illnesses, compared with those who received a standard vaccine. But then there's the
two-dose COVID-19 vaccines — which have very high effectiveness for every age group tested so far. Part of their success may be due to their newer mRNA technology, says L.J. Tan, a medical
researcher and chief strategy officer for the Immunization Action Coalition. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was shown to be 95 percent effective in both older and younger adults, while the
Moderna vaccine showed only a slight decrease in effectiveness among those 65 and older.