Don’t Wait Until The Fall To Get Boosted Against Covid, CDC Says - Forbes

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Topline

Vulnerable adults should not wait until the fall for omicron-specific Covid-19 shots and should instead get boosted as soon as possible, Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday, as the highly transmissible omicron substrain BA.5 fuels a spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

Key Facts

Waiting until October or November—when pharmaceutical companies hope to be able to offer a coronavirus shot specifically targeting omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5—is “not a good plan,” Walensky said during a press conference.

Many Americans are “under-vaccinated,” Walensky said, adding hospitalization rates from Covid have doubled since April because of the highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 substrains, while White House coronavirus advisor Anthony Fauci cautioned that the “threat to you is now.”

The CDC recommends booster shots for everyone ages 5 years and up in order to be considered “up to date” with their shots, and most people should wait at least five months after their primary vaccination series to get the booster.

Walensky’s comments come after reports the White House is considering expanding eligibility for second booster shots to all adults to battle rising cases of Covid.

The agency currently recommends all adults ages 50 years and older, as well as those ages 12 years and older with compromised immune systems, get a second booster shot.

Crucial Quote

“There are many people who are at high risk right now,” Walensky said. “We really do want to say now get your boost. We have every anticipation that the data will suggest that you will be eligible for [another]

Big Number

103,907. That’s how many coronavirus infections per day the U.S. averaged for the week ending July 10, up from roughly 30,000 cases a day in early April, but still well below a January peak of more than 800,000 cases a day, according to CDC estimates.

Surprising Fact

Omicron subvariant BA.5 accounted for 65% of all coronavirus infections in the U.S. as of last week, up from 54% the week before, when it became the dominant coronavirus strain in the U.S., according to CDC estimates.

Key Background

The Food and Drug Administration two weeks ago advised pharmaceutical companies to manufacture booster shots targeting omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. The strains were first discovered earlier this year in South Africa, where they became dominant, and eventually made their way into the U.S. in late March. By late June, BA.4 and BA.5 had become the prevailing substrains of Covid in the U.S. Pharmaceutical companies are hoping to offer the targeted vaccines as early as October, but experts have cautioned that high-risk individuals in particular should not wait for the retooled booster. Other countries around the world may also aim to use boosters to fight a surge in infections: the World Health Organization on Monday recommended those 5 years and older with compromised immune systems in Europe—where coronavirus infections are also on the rise—get a second booster shot.