A renewed push by the Biden Administration to protect the most vulnerable Americans was announced Wednesday to address ongoing concerns about falling immunity between vaccine shots.
For those that are more clinically vulnerable to COVID-19, booster shots may be essential for sustaining immunity in the mid-term.
A recent study by the CDC revealed that vaccine effectiveness among nursing home residents had fallen from 75% before the Delta variant’s U.S. emergence to 53%. While there are a number of ongoing studies currently looking at the immune response in people of different ages, it’s still too early to determine how much of a drop in immunity there will be across the population.
In particular, Americans that received both Pfizer and Modern vaccines will be encouraged to get their booster shots starting September 20.
Experts have been divided over who should receive booster shots as it is still early in the pandemic to assess the impact of vaccines between age groups, and it may take another 6-12 months to get the data. However, with the Delta surge taking hold, there is already renewed pressure on hospitals, with ICU’s in some states currently at 95% capacity. 5 U.S. states have also reported record new Covid cases, which could amount to more hospitalizations in the coming weeks.
Booster vaccines may become the normal, but for now, it is more likely that clinically vulnerable patients or elderly citizens will be first in line for additional shots.
Would you consider taking a booster shot if it was recommended?
