Why COVID-19 vaccine boosters may be more important than ever
Why COVID-19 vaccine boosters may be more important than ever
*** result of COVID-19 contact tracing slowing down is that we don't have *** clear understanding of where people are most likely to contract the illness. However, we've come to realize that the virus is now much more transmissible, but the way express has not changed at all. So to avoid it, we need to stick to what we know worked in the past, avoid crowded indoor events, especially those with poor ventilation. Households have become *** major place where covid spreads according to the CDC. *** household transmission rate is about 53%. You do, however, have *** better chance of avoiding it if everyone in the household is vaccinated. Keep in mind that nursing homes and congregate living facilities are hotbeds of outbreaks. Mostly be careful with anything that takes place indoors like *** car ride or going to *** restaurant, even planes. Every time you're indoors, you run *** higher risk of catching corona. So live your life. But manage your risks. Besides, summer is upon us. There's no need to gather inside
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Why COVID-19 vaccine boosters may be more important than ever
With waning immunity and a coronavirus that seems to become more infectious with each new variant, the Biden administration predicts that up to 100 million more people could get COVID-19 in the fall and winter. That estimate makes it crucial that as many people as possible get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine, experts say. And if you're eligible, it's a good time to get a second booster.Less than half of eligible Americans — only about a third of the total U.S. population — have gotten a first booster dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only about 10 million people have received a second booster, which is authorized for people 50 and older, along with those who are 12 and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.The CDC encourages people to be "up-to-date" on COVID-19 vaccinations — which includes getting boosters at the appropriate time — but still defines a person to be "fully vaccinated" if they've received at least their initial vaccination series.But this week, a senior Biden administration official was more direct: All adults need a third shot.Vaccination is the best way for individuals to protect themselves against COVID-19, and protection is most effective with at least three shots, the official said.Getting more Americans boosted against COVID-19 could make a big difference as far as case numbers go, according to Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He told the American Medical Association on Monday that he is "a little concerned" about where the COVID-19 pandemic is heading."It's really important that we try to get the half — or a little bit more than a half — of Americans who have only received two doses to get that third dose," Marks said. "That may make a difference moving forward here, and it may particularly make a difference now that we're coming into yet another wave of COVID-19."The current rising COVID cases are nothing like what the U.S. saw with the initial omicron surge, but as of Monday, the U.S. is averaging 71,577 new cases a day, according to Johns Hopkins University.Case rates are currently highest in the Northeast region of the U.S., where booster uptake is best. Nearly half of Vermont's population is fully vaccinated and boosted, along with more than 40% of the population in Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, according to CDC data.But cases are also starting to tick up in the South, where less than a quarter of the population is fully vaccinated and boosted. In North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi, less than 1 in 5 people have received their booster shot.Who's getting — and not getting — boostersEveryone in the U.S. who is 12 and older is eligible for a booster dose. Only the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is available as a booster for adolescents 12 to 17.Adults who were initially vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine are eligible for a booster dose five months after the initial series. Those vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson are eligible for a booster dose two months after their first shot.CDC data shows that booster uptake is higher in older age groups in the U.S., consistent with broader vaccination trends. But nearly 2 out of 5 seniors age 65 and older — and more than 3 out of 5 adults overall — do not have either of their booster shots.People who get three doses of an mRNA vaccine have a relatively low rate of COVID-related urgent care visits and hospitalizations compared with those who got only two doses, studies have shown. Even with the more infectious omicron variant, a booster seems to protect against more severe disease.Scientists are still trying to determine whether younger age groups would benefit from an additional vaccine dose. Pfizer and BioNTech have requested emergency use authorization for the 5-to-11 age range."That will hopefully be acted on in the not-too-distant future," Marks said.New research on fourth dosesA fourth dose of Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine — which is already authorized for people 50 and older in the United State