A new study has found that most American adults are refusing to take any more COVID-19 booster shots, as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports on significant differences between the health protection capabilities of those who haven’t had the vaccine vs. those who have.
According to Fox News, the CDC’s latest report examined over 85,000 cases of hospitalizations where patients displayed “COVID-like illness,” across multiple different states. Dr. Shana Johnson, a physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, reviewed the study’s findings and claimed that, while the bivalent mRNA vaccine did ultimately protect against the most harmful of COVID’s outcomes (including hospitalization and death), the durability of this protection did not last long.
“For adults, the vaccine effectiveness dropped from 62% at two months after vaccination to 24% at four to six months for protection against COVID-19 hospitalization,” said Johnson. “Durability was better for preventing critical COVID-19 disease, at 50% at four to six months after vaccination.”
The study also showed that the vaccine was more effective in people with stronger immune systems than in those who are immunocompromised.
“These data support updated recommendations allowing additional optional bivalent COVID-19 vaccine doses for certain high-risk populations,” the CDC stated further on its website. “All eligible persons should stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccines.”
However, as of May of 2023, only about 20 percent of adults in the U.S. who did take the COVID vaccine subsequently got a booster shot. Furthermore, most of that 20 percent received their last vaccine dose over a year ago.
“Uptake has been quite low,” said Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News contributor. “It makes complete sense for adults — especially those in high-risk groups, including the elderly and those with chronic disease — to have a bivalent shot if they haven’t already had one.”
Although the CDC study admits that natural immunity from prior COVID infections is a strong source of protection, the agency still insists that the vaccine provides the most protection.
“The authors note that since a large portion of the population has experienced COVID, they have some level of protection from natural immunity, but the vaccine provides additional benefit,” said Dr. Johnson. “Natural immunity confers a benefit, but the vaccine provides broader coverage, which protects against more variants.”