Three recently published studies show that COVID vaccines reduce the risk of heart attack and cardiac death. These studies suggest that getting a COVID vaccine is still beneficial for adults.

These studies support other research that have shown the same benefits of the vaccine to heart health. Moreover, we have evidence that COVID itself increases risk to cardiovascular health.

This post will examine all three of these papers that show that COVID vaccines are linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and cardiac death.

COVID vaccines and heart attack papers

In a paper published on 15 June 2026 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, VA St. Louis Health Care System, and colleagues examined the medical records of over 1 million veterans who received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine.

Here are the key results:

• Vaccine effectiveness was 37.7% for preventing COVID-associated MACE (major adverse cardiac events), a composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure hospitalization.
• A risk difference 2.04 per 10,000 people versus those who didn’t get a COVID vaccine.
• COVID vaccination was 57.9% effective at preventing COVID-associated cardiovascular death.
• COVID vaccination was 38.5% effective against COVID-associated myocardial infarction
• COVID vaccination was 41.9% effective against COVID-associated hospitalization for heart failure.

The authors concluded:

In this cohort study, receipt of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with reduced risk of COVID-19–associated MACE, with reductions most prominent in those 75 years or older and those with comorbidities. While the reduction in COVID-19–associated MACE was modest, the substantially larger reduction in all-cause MACE suggests that the vaccine’s protective association extends to the hidden burden of undetected SARS-CoV-2 and its sequelae.

In another study published on 15 June 2026 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Ryan Wiegand, PhD, CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine against COVID-associated emergent care, hospitalization, and critical illness among adults in the 7 to 299 days after vaccination.

Here are the key results:

• Estimated vaccine effectiveness was 26% against COVID-related emergency department/urgent care visits.
• Estimated vaccine effectiveness was 35% against COVID-related hospitalizations.
• Estimated vaccine effectiveness was 41% against COVID-related critical illness.
• Estimated vaccine effectiveness was 24% against COVID-related hospitalization for immunocompromised adults.
• Vaccine effectiveness was identical for people ages 65 and older.

The researchers concluded:

In this test-negative case-control study, 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccination was associated with reduced likelihood of medically attended COVID-19–associated outcomes among immunocompetent and immunocompromised adults, highlighting the importance of adults receiving recommended COVID-19 vaccinations.

Finally, in a study published on 15 June 2026 in JAMA Network Open, Charlotte Laniece Delaunay, PhD, Epiconcept, Paris, France, and colleagues showed, in a European case-control study, that the 2025-2026 COVID vaccines mirrored the performance of the prior season’s shots. Among older patients, overall COVID vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease was 59%.

Summary

In an accompanying editorial published on 15 June 2026 in JAMA Internal Medicine, former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC wrote:

…it (the COVID vaccine) should no longer be treated as exceptional but as one of many infectious diseases for which vaccination is protective.

The important issue for clinical decision-making is whether the clearly demonstrated modest benefit is worth the cost or the risk of rare adverse effects, because the absolute beneficial difference in serious outcomes such as hospitalization and death is lower in younger population.

Taken together, these reports offer convincing evidence that the cardiovascular benefits of vaccination for COVID-19 are much greater than the risks, demonstrated or potential, that have been identified.

Although the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine in lowering the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular complication may be modest, they are still significant.

These three studies provide ample evidence that the benefits of the COVID vaccine for cardiovascular events are impressive far outweighing any potential risks, especially for older adults.

This means that the COVID vaccines are still an important vaccine.

Citations

• Cai M, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z. 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccine and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events Among US Veterans. JAMA Intern Med. 2026 Jun 15:e261929. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.1929. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42295793; PMCID: PMC13270305.
• Califf RM. Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters-The Message From Data Is Consistent but Not Getting Through. JAMA Intern Med. 2026 Jun 15. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.1945. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42295769.
• Laniece Delaunay C, Mateo-Urdiales A, Pérez-Gimeno G, O’Reilly K, Uras M, Erdwiens A, Mlinaric I, Túri G, Martínez-Baz I, Meijer A, Rodrigues AP, Lazar M, Latorre-Margalef N, Lucaccioni H, Verdasca N, Bella A, Rafael de la Cruz Lopez MA, Kelly E, Enouf V, Tolksdorf K, Puzelli S, Ibáñez Pérez AC, Fitzgerald M, Masse S, Oh DY, Kaczmarek M, Bacci S, Kissling E; VEBIS Primary Care Vaccine Effectiveness Group. COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Among Older Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Jun 1;9(6):e2619040. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.19040. PMID: 42295762; PMCID: PMC13270266.
• Wiegand RE, Payne AB, Mak J, Chickery S, Reese SE, Klein NP, Grannis SJ, Ong TC, Rowley EAK, DeSilva M, Dascomb K, Irving SA, Zerbo O, Hansen JR, Block L, Jacobson KB, Dixon BE, Rogerson CM, Duszynski TJ, Fadel WF, Barron MA, Mayer D, Chavez C, Yang DH, Ball SW, McEvoy CE, Akinsete OO, Sheffield T, Bride D, Arndorfer J, Van Otterloo J, Naleway AL, Natarajan K, Najdowski M, Ciesla AA, Kautz A, DeCuir J, Link-Gelles R. Estimated Effectiveness of 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccines in Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2026 Jun 15:e261936. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.1936. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42295789; PMCID: PMC13270319.

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