Despite the promising effectiveness of the updated Covid vaccines, the United States faces a critical hurdle: a surprisingly low uptake among its population. In fact, only 9.3% of South Carolina residents have gotten the updated Covid booster.
The Good News: Fall Booster Works!
Recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have brought a wave of optimism in teh fight against Covid. The updated 2023–2024 monovalent XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine booster has shown to provide approximately 54% increased protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, a figure that aligns with the effectiveness of the annual flu vaccine.
This booster is particularly adept at protecting against the JN.1 lineage and other circulating variants, offering a beacon of hope for those seeking to avoid the virus’s more severe consequences.
The Bad News: Hardly Anyone is Getting the Booster
Despite the vaccine’s proven effectiveness, the uptake among American adults is alarmingly low, with only 22% having received the updated shot. This hesitancy undermines public health efforts to control the virus’s spread and protect vulnerable communities from potential outbreaks. The reasons for this reluctance are multifaceted, as revealed in a study assessing booster uptake among U.S. adults.