Adults of 65 years and older are 94% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 if they have been fully vaccinated with either of the two mRNA vaccines that have received emergency use authorization in the U.S., compared with people of the same age who are not vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. People who are partially vaccinated with those vaccines -- one developed by Pfizer Inc. and German partner BioNTech SE , and one developed by Moderna Inc. -- are 64% less likely to be hospitalized compared with people who are not vaccinated, the agency said. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of either of the two-dose regimens, and to be partially vaccinated two weeks after receiving an initial dose. "COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and these real-world findings confirm the benefits seen in clinical trials, preventing hospitalizations among those most vulnerable," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. "The results are promising for our communities and hospitals." The CDC's assessment was based on hospitalizations in two networks covering 24 hospitals in 14 states. There were 417 participants in the assessment, 187 case-patients and 230 in the control group. "As expected, the assessment confirmed that vaccination provided no protection to people who had received their first dose fewer than two weeks earlier," the agency said in a statement. "It takes two weeks for the body to form an immune response after vaccination. "Pfizer shares were up 0.6% Wednesday, while BioNTech was up 0.2%. Moderna shares were down 2.6% but are up 71% in the year to date, while the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF has fallen 1% and the S&P 500 has gained 11.5%.
Walmart Inc. said Wednesday that it has expanded an early payment program that will benefit minority and diverse suppliers. The latest program, which launches on May 3, builds on an existing one, providing additional options intended to make access to working capital faster and more affordable. Walmart says it will fund the program first, ultimately partnering with international and minority-owned banks for additional capabilities. Walmart, which partnered with financial technology company C2FO, provided a copy of the letter sent to Walmart suppliers here. Walmart shares have fallen 4.1% for the year to date while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 10.6% for the period.