Health
CDC recommends additional COVID vaccine for adults 65 and over
Older adults in the U.S. should get another COVID-19 booster even if they received one in the fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The guidance was released on Wednesday from Mandy Cohen, CDC director, and the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The agency recommended that adults ages 65 years and older receive “an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose” due to an “increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults,” as stated in the announcement.
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Those who are immunocompromised are also eligible for an additional booster, as announced in October 2023.
“Today’s recommendation allows older adults to receive an additional dose of this season’s COVID-19 vaccine to provide added protection,” said Cohen in a press release.
Older adults in the U.S. should get another COVID-19 booster shot even if they received one in the fall, according to guidance from the CDC. (iStock)
“Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” she added.
“An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk.”
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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, said the decision about whether to get an additional dose depends on the patient and the prevalence of the virus.
“I am certainly keeping an eye on my older patients in high-risk groups, especially those with chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer, COPD and obesity — but this is not ‘one size fits all,’” he told Fox News Digital.
“Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” said the CDC director in a statement. (iStock)
“The vaccine is a useful tool and it appears to be effective against the prevailing strains,” he added.
“I would not be giving it routinely to all unless new evidence emerges that it is wearing off.”
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Dr. Jacob Glanville, a virology expert and founder of Centivax, a San Francisco pharmaceutical company, said the CDC’s advice is based on the much higher risk of death by COVID-19 in this age category, combined with the relatively low 51% efficacy of the vaccines against current mismatched circulating strains.
As of Feb. 23, the share of adults 65 and over that have received the updated COVID vaccine was 41.8%, according to CDC data. (iStock)
“A boost can serve to increase the proportion of antibodies and T-cells that can still respond to a mismatch strain, and thus provide additional protection,” Glanville told Fox News Digital.
As of Feb. 23, the share of adults 65 and over that have received the updated COVID vaccine was 41.8%, according to CDC data.
The compliance rate was 22.3% for adults 18 and over and 13.1% for children.
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Yoga is known to boost relaxation, strength and flexibility – and now a new study has found the practice could improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances after cancer treatment.
The findings were presented last week at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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The study was conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites, including 410 adult cancer survivors averaging 54 years of age. Around 75% were breast cancer survivors, and none of them had practiced yoga regularly within the prior three months.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances in cancer survivors. (iStock)
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Half of them received only standard survivorship care without the yoga, while the other half received standard care and were also enrolled in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training.
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Based on questionnaires completed by the patients, the survivors in the yoga group experienced “moderate-to-large” reductions in overall mood disturbance, “small-to-medium” reductions in anxiety and “medium-to-large” reductions in fatigue, the study found.
The improvements in mood and fatigue appeared to be linked to yoga’s beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to the researchers.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training. (iStock)
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug,” lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, told Fox News Digital.
The study did not reveal any major safety concerns or serious adverse events related to the yoga practice.
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug.”
The study did have some limitations, chiefly that the findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed for a medical publication.
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“The sample in our clinical trial was relatively homogeneous, with most participants being women (96%), breast cancer patients (75%), Caucasian (93%), and having some college or higher education (82%),” noted Choi.
“We are adapting our intervention to reach all cancer patients and survivors, including the creation of a mobile app to reach people in rural communities.”
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The research also excluded patients with metastatic cancer (whose disease had spread to other parts of the body).
The total study was only four weeks, so more research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted. (iStock)
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted.
Some yoga studios may use different names for Gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga, such as Foundations Yoga or Healing Yoga, Choi noted.
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“Survivors should also look for certified yoga instructors who have experience working with cancer patients/survivors or individuals with other challenging health conditions,” the researcher advised. “They should not be afraid to ask their oncology team for referrals to qualified instructors in their community.”
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Choi also noted that the research did not reveal whether other types of yoga, such as heated-room or rigorous-flow yoga, are safe or beneficial for cancer survivors.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
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