Americans are taking their time getting the latest COVID-19 booster shot.
According to CDC data, the most recent booster was made accessible to the general public during Labor Day weekend, and as of September 21 roughly 4.4 million people had received it. According to NBC News, that number corresponds to around 1.5% of those who are qualified to receive the booster.
According to the White House, the figure is likely closer to 5 million people. Texas and Idaho, which use an aggregate immunisation record reporting technique for the Pfizer vaccine, are not yet included in the CDC totals.
The low numbers, according to infectious disease expert Scott Roberts, MD, of Yale Medicine, are “demoralising.”
By this time, he predicted, “I would expect a significantly higher percentage of Americans to have had the booster.” “It sends a very confusing message that this booster was released just days before Biden declared the pandemic to be finished. It will now be more difficult to persuade individuals who are at risk yet unsure to obtain a booster.
Ashish Jha, MD, the coordinator of COVID-19 for the White House, predicts a rise in demand in the upcoming weeks.
“We have been considering and debating this as an annual vaccination, similar to the flu shot. The season for flu shots begins in late September and early October. Our educational campaign has barely begun. Therefore, even if this had a good beginning, we actually anticipate this to ramp up stronger, Jha said.
The third booster approved by the federal government was modified to provide defence against the Omicron strain’s subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which are currently in circulation. It can only be given to people who have had a primary vaccination series or a booster shot at least two months prior.
People 12 and older can purchase the new Pfizer booster, while those 18 and older can get the Moderna version. You can mix and match the vaccines.
