Boosters Don’t Assure Immunity to COVID-19, but They Do Keep Patients Out of the Hospital

As kids are wrapping up the school year and Americans are making plans for summer getaways and attending festivals and other large gatherings, rates of COVID-19 infection are once again creeping up in various parts of the country. In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seem to indicate that the rate of infection may be almost twice as high in boosted individuals than in those who have been vaccinated but not boosted. Does that mean we should stop getting additional doses and recommend that others do the same? Not at all, if a closer look at CDC data is any indication: Even though there are more boosted people with COVID-19 than expected, rates of hospitalizations among them are far lower than non-boosted individuals who get sick. That means lower risk for hospital-acquired infection, less drain on the healthcare system, and lower cost for patients and payers—all solid reasons to continue recommending boosters to patients and staff who are not up to date on all the boosters for which they’re eligible.