In This Episode: This update covers Omicron, COVID boosters, plus how to search the CDC data to see just how well vaccines have worked, even in older adults. I also show the data demonstrating that vaccinated people age 80+ are still at higher risk of serious COVID than unvaccinated people under age 50; this is why fully vaccinated older adults should take precautions during the current surge! (View the show notes page to watch my subtitled talk and my slides.) This episode includes: What do we know about Omicron so far, and will the vaccines remain protective Should I get vaccinated against COVID? Should my 90-year-old mother get the COVID vaccine? How well does the vaccine work in older adults? How to use CDC data to see how well it works in different age groups Should I worry that the vaccine might harm me (or my frail older parent)? Who should get a COVID booster and why? How to stay safer during the holidays. Related Episodes: 123 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (10.28.21 Edition) Related Resources: BHWA: COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do CDC: CDC COVID Data Tracker  County view (to check your local transmission rates) Rates of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by Vaccination Status Rates of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations by vaccination status Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant — United States, December 1–8, 2021 (report on first Omicron cases in US) COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose Safety (from 11/19/21 CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Meeting) From medical journals: Preliminary findings from study after Christmas party in Oslo (Norwegian Institute of Public Health)