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A panel of doctors and scientists advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted Wednesday to recommend that people 65 and older, a group of people particularly vulnerable to the virus, receive a second dose of a COVID vaccine. updated that was available last fall.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Mandy Cohen endorsed the recommendation shortly after.
“An additional dose of vaccine may provide additional protection that may have diminished over time for those most at risk,” Cohen said in a news release.
COVID hospitalizations are much higher among older people than in other age groups. In fact, over the past year, hospitalization rates among people 65 and older have been about five times higher than those between 50 and 64, according to data presented at Wednesday’s Advisory Committee meeting. on Immunization Practices (ACIP). .
“It is devastating to see how many elderly and immunocompromised people are admitted to the hospital, are in the ICU and die from COVID,” said committee member Dr. Camille Kotton.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Getting additional COVID shots may strengthen defenses against serious illness, including reducing the risk of hospitalizations, according to the CDC. An additional shot could also restore some degree of protection that may have diminished since last fall’s dose.
The vaccines are no longer called “booster” since the formula was changed last year and because health officials want the public to consider them as a routine vaccine.
But even among the highest-risk groups, few have chosen to receive the latest vaccine. While seniors can now receive a second dose of the updated COVID vaccine, most have not even received a single dose of this updated vaccine, designed to attack newer versions of this ever-changing virus.
Those who receive an additional dose this spring should wait at least four months after the first dose of the updated vaccine, according to the CDC.
Kotton called it “shocking” to see the low uptake of the latest COVID among those most at risk for severe illness, including older adults and the immunocompromised. Kotton was one of several members who advocated changing the recommendation’s language from a softer “can” receive the vaccine to a stronger “should” receive the vaccine to avoid confusion over whether it is recommended or not.
“I think we really need to clear this up, and to me, this is a life-or-death situation for a lot of the patients that I see,” Kotton said.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Here’s a look at the data for people over 65 in Georgia:
COVID vaccination rates: Nationally, 41% of people 65 and older have received the updated vaccine since its rollout last year, the highest vaccination rate of any age group. That rate is much lower in Georgia, where about 22% of people 65 and older have been vaccinated, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
COVID hospitalizations: People over 60 account for the majority of COVID hospitalizations, according to the CDC. Each day, an average of 25 Georgians between the ages of 60 and 69 were admitted to the hospital for COVID during the week ending February 17. During that same period, an average of 62 people ages 70 and older were admitted each day.
Deaths from COVID-19: Since the pandemic began, people ages 60 and older accounted for 81% of the state’s roughly 36,000 COVID deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.