Senior Americans should roll up their sleeves and continue getting COVID-19 vaccines even if they received a booster shot in the fall, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Americans 65 and older should get another dose of the newer vaccine introduced in September — if at least four months have passed since their last shot. In making its recommendations, the agency endorsed guidance provided earlier in the day by an expert advisory panel.
“The majority of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 and older,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement. “Additional vaccine doses can be made available to those most at risk Extra protection.”
The advisory panel’s decision came after a lengthy discussion about whether seniors “can” or “should” get the shot. That reflects debate among experts over the need for another booster dose and whether another recommendation would add to the public’s growing vaccine fatigue.
Some doctors say most older adults are adequately protected by the fall shot, building on immunity from early vaccination and exposure to the virus itself. Preliminary studies so far suggest the vaccine’s effectiveness does not diminish significantly over six months.
However, the body’s vaccine-induced defenses tend to wane over time, and this happens more quickly in older adults than in other adults. The committee recommends COVID-19 booster doses for older adults in 2022 and 2023.
Viruses are still a threat
COVID-19 remains a danger, especially for older adults and people with underlying medical conditions. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 20,000 people are still hospitalized and more than 2,000 are dying from the coronavirus each week. Hospitalization and death rates are highest among people 65 and older.
Some members of the advisory group said the “should” recommendations were to more clearly prompt doctors and pharmacists to provide the injections.
Dr. Jamie Loehr, a board member and family physician in Ithaca, N.Y., said that with the “should” recommendations, “I’m trying to make it easier for providers to say, ‘Yes, we recommend this. .'”
In September, the government recommended a new COVID-19 vaccine formula against a version of the coronavirus called XBB.1.5. This single-target vaccine replaces combination vaccines against the original coronavirus strain and earlier omicron versions.
Vaccination rates decline
The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get the new vaccine, and allows people with weakened immune systems to get a second dose as early as two months after the first.
Most Americans haven’t heard of it. According to the latest data from the CDC, 13% of American children and about 22% of American adults have been vaccinated. The vaccination rate for adults 65 and older is even higher, at nearly 42%.
“The uptake rates go down with every successive vaccine,” said Dr. David Canaday, an infectious disease expert at Case Western Reserve University who studies COVID-19 in older adults. ”
“People are tired of getting all these shots all the time,” said Canady, who does not serve on the committee. “We must be cautious about over-recommending vaccines.”
But Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University, said a subset of Americans, those at higher risk of severe illness and death, have been asking about being allowed another dose. . Booster problem.
In fact, CDC survey data shows that this group’s biggest concern about the vaccine is whether it will be effective enough.
Agency officials say 50% fewer people who received the latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine became sick after exposure to the virus compared with people who were not vaccinated.
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