Comirnaty, a Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine, displayed in a pharmacy in Orlando, Florida on September 15, 2023.
Image credit: Joe Burbank/AP
U.S. health officials have reasserted the necessity of a third COVID-19 vaccine shot for elderly U.S. residents. This population is advised to get another dose of the most recent vaccine that was released in September 2023 if at least four months have transpired since their previous jab, according to a recent directive by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The assertion was made after regarding the significant number of COVID-19 related deaths and hospitalizations among individuals aged 65 years and over. “An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection for those at highest risk,” noted CDC Director, Dr. Mandy Cohen in a press release.
An intense discussion preceded the decision from the advisory panel about whether to advise explicitly that older adults “should” receive the jabs or if they “may” do so. This mirrors the ongoing debate among health experts regarding the criticalness of an additional booster and whether a further recommendation might contribute to escalating vaccine fatigue.
However, there is little dispute regarding one aspect: COVID-19 still poses a significant risk, especially to seniors and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Even now, the CDC reports more than 20,000 hospitalizations and over 2,000 fatalities weekly due to the coronavirus, with individuals aged 65 and older carrying the highest hospitalization and death rates.
Doctors continue to say that for most older adults, the fall shot is sufficient as it upgrades immunity derived from prior vaccinations and exposure to the virus. Despite the general resistance to inoculation, vaccines still represent our best weapon against this unprecedented health crisis.
“Most people are coming in either wanting the vaccine or not,” stated Dr. Jamie Loehr, a committee member and family physician based in Ithaca, New York. “I am trying to make it easier for providers to say ‘Yes, we recommend this.'”
As it currently stands, most Americans have yet to receive the updated vaccine. The CDC data indicates that only 13% of U.S. children and about 22% of U.S. adults have been inoculated. However, for adults aged 65 and over, the vaccination rate is nearly 42%.
Despite this, the CDC continues to recommend the new shots for everyone aged 6 months and older. “People are tired of getting all these shots all the time,” says Dr. David Canaday, an infectious diseases expert from Case Western Reserve University who researches COVID-19 in older people. “We have to be careful about over-recommending the vaccine.”
However, there are still those at higher risk of severe illness and death who are seeking information about additional doses. The question is how to balance catering to this group while taking into account the broader context of resistance and fatigue towards vaccines.
