Get the pneumococcal vaccine after 65

Moderate value
Evidence A
Buys life
For: Elderly relative at home, Age 60+
Costs a little
Takes minutes
No willpower

In plain words

In a trial of 84,500 (8.45万) older adults, the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine blocked about 46% of pneumonia caused by the types it covers, and 75% of the most dangerous invasive infections. But no effect was seen on pneumonia from all causes, so don't expect it to prevent all pneumonia.

Cost: A few hundred CNY. Free for older people in some areas.
What you get: The Netherlands randomized 84,500 (8.45万) people over 65 into two groups to compare. The vaccine used was the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Its efficacy against vaccine-type pneumonia was 45.6% (95.2% CI 21.8–62.5, the plausible range). Vaccine-type means the bacterial types the vaccine covers. Its efficacy against invasive pneumococcal disease, the most dangerous kind of infection, was 75.0% (95% CI 41.4–90.8). For pneumonia from all causes put together, it had no effect.
Notes: It protects only against the types it covers; getting it does not mean you won't get pneumonia. The vaccine commonly given to older adults in China is the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine, which is not the same as the 13-valent conjugate vaccine used in this trial, so the efficacy figures above can't be applied to it directly.
Evidence grade: A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources: Bonten MJ, Huijts SM, Bolkenbaas M, et al. (2015). Polysaccharide conjugate vaccine against pneumococcal pneumonia in adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(12), 1114-1125. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1408544

Mentioned in

Don't spend big on supplements, herbal tonic pastes (膏方) or tonic products to “balance the body”

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 1, tip 22. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer