Pneumococcal Vaccination Linked With Reduced COVID-19 Hospitalization, Death in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases

Publication date: Jul 15, 2025

Vaccination with a pneumococcal vaccine was associated with reduced hospitalization rates and occurrence of severe forms of COVID-19, including death, among patients infected with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs). The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) guidelines recommend yearly influenza vaccination and pneumococcal vaccination every 5 years in patients with IRD. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccine coverage in 584 patients taking biological therapy for chronic inflammatory joint: A retrospective study. 2019 update of EULAR recommendations for vaccination in adult patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Primarily, the fact that patients who are most vulnerablesuch as older adults and those with comorbiditiesare most likely to get vaccinated. This potentially led to an overrepresentation of high-risk patients in the vaccinated group. Notably, 26. 5% of patients were treated with targeted drugs for their condition.

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