COVID Vaccine Cuts Heart Attack Risk by 38%, Study Finds

New research shows that getting a COVID vaccine does much more than prevent infection—it dramatically protects your heart.

A major study following over 1 million veterans found that those who received COVID vaccines had a 38% lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious cardiac events related to COVID. The research, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, tracked veterans who got flu shots in 2024, with about a third also receiving COVID vaccines.

The protection was strongest for people who needed it most. Adults 75 and older and those with chronic kidney or lung disease saw the greatest benefits from vaccination.

But here's where it gets really interesting. COVID vaccines also reduced all heart problems by nearly 24%, not just those linked to confirmed COVID cases. Researchers believe many people catch COVID without realizing it, then suffer heart complications weeks later without connecting the dots.

"What that really means is that those events are actually likely related to SARS-CoV-2, that were never recognized to be so in the first place," said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, who led the study at Washington University in St. Louis.

The numbers tell a powerful story. These findings could translate to preventing about 3,500 major cardiac events and 2,400 deaths annually per 1 million people.

Dr. Robert Califf, a cardiologist and former FDA commissioner, noted that multiple studies now show various vaccines reduce chronic disease risks, including heart problems. The cardioprotective effect likely comes from preventing COVID infections that trigger inflammation and directly damage heart tissue.

A separate CDC study released the same day found that the 2024-2025 COVID vaccines were 41% effective at preventing severe illness in adults. Researchers compared the effectiveness to flu vaccines, which many people accept as routine protection.

In Europe, similar results emerged. A study of adults 60 and older across multiple countries found COVID vaccines were about 55% effective at preventing symptomatic disease in the two months after vaccination.

The Bright Side

This research offers reassuring news at a time when COVID vaccine uptake has dropped significantly. Less than half of older adults now get COVID shots, compared to flu vaccine rates.

Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage found it striking that COVID vaccines match flu vaccines in effectiveness over the short term. "Covid vaccines are still protective and still keep people out of hospital," he told reporters.

The heart protection findings may surprise some who remember early concerns about vaccine-related myocarditis, mostly seen in young men. Studies have since confirmed that this rare side effect is significantly milder than the heart inflammation caused by actual COVID infection.

Al-Aly emphasized that COVID continues circulating widely in communities, even though testing has dropped and many infections go unrecognized. The virus has evolved and severe cases are less common, but the cardiovascular risks remain real.

The message from researchers is clear: COVID vaccines offer powerful protection that goes beyond preventing infection, safeguarding one of our most vital organs in the process.