Study Reveals 23 Percent Lower COVID Risk in Those ‘Not Up-to-Date’ With Vaccinations

Morgantown, WV - 22 February 2021: Covid-19 vaccination record card showing first and second doses of Pfizer vaccine in West Virginia Steve Heap/Shutterstock

In a compelling counter-narrative to prevailing views on COVID-19 immunization, a recent study from the Cleveland Clinic Health System reveals that individuals not considered “up-to-date” with their COVID-19 vaccinations, as per the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) definition, may have a lower risk of contracting the virus compared to their “up-to-date” counterparts.

This unexpected finding emerges as the dominant XBB lineages of the virus circulate, leading researchers to question the efficacy of bivalent vaccines against these new variants and the existing CDC guidelines for determining vaccination adequacy.

Decoding the Unexpected Findings in the Cleveland Clinic Study

The research in question is a retrospective cohort study carried out at the Cleveland Clinic Health System (CCHS), dating back to January 23, 2023. The point of reference was when the XBB lineages became the dominant strains in Ohio. It concentrated on CCHS employees, specifically those present when the XBB lineages took center stage.