New Data Point to an Ongoing Need to Drive COVID-19 Booster Shots

New cases of COVID-19 are falling across the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reports from multiple state health departments. The same is holding true for hospitalization rates—with the exception of the unvaccinated. This has proven to be especially true during the Omicron surge, according to new data from the CDC. In fact, being fully vaccinated (including both the initial vaccine dosage and a booster shot) has been found to be 90% effective in preventing severe illness in patients who do get COVID-19 with the Omicron variant. The same goes for presentations to the emergency room and being admitted to a hospital. Given the advent of yet another variant—Omicron BA.2—this is an ideal time to reiterate to patients that they should not consider themselves fully vaccinated (or adequately protected) unless they’ve received both a full vaccination course and a booster.