In the first month following the availability of the new COVID-19 vaccines, a mere 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children received the shots, a rate deemed “abysmal” by one health expert.
Even among the demographics most vulnerable to COVID-19, the uptake remains distressingly low. As of Oct. 14, only about 20% of individuals aged 75 or older had been vaccinated, and just 15% of those between the ages of 65 and 74.
These figures, presented on Thursday to scientific advisers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were derived from a national survey involving nearly 15,000 people and were consistent with statements made by the agency’s director at an event this week.
Speaking to Politico, CDC Director Mandy Cohen disclosed that around 12 million people, or less than 4% of the U.S. population, got the new vaccine in the first five weeks of its availability. She attributed this low number to a stumbling start in its rollout.
On Sept. 12, the CDC recommended that all individuals aged 6 months and older get the new COVID-19 shot. The reformulated dose was designed to target current coronavirus strains more effectively, notably the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which drove the majority of infections this year. Bay Area pharmacies and medical providers began administering the updated shots by appointment in mid-September but soon encountered supply shortages.
Issues were also reported with processing insurance coverage, resulting in many residents paying out of pocket upward of $200 per dose and causing confusion regarding who would cover the cost of the new shots.
By comparison, about 17% of Americans, including 43% of adults aged 65 and older, received the previous bivalent booster, which protected against the original COVID-19 strain and a variant dominant in mid-2022. That booster was available from September 2022 to May.
The data released Thursday also indicated that nearly 40% of adults said they do not intend to get the new vaccine. A similar percentage of parents expressed reluctance to vaccinate their children.
During the meeting, Dr. Camille Kotton of Harvard Medical School raised alarm over the uptake, referring to the figures as “abysmal,” and called for improved public education efforts to bridge the gap.
Federal authorities had intended to make COVID-19 vaccination as routine as getting annual flu shots, but Dr. David Kimberlin of the University of Alabama at Birmingham expressed dismay at the challenge of effectively conveying that message.
“The recommendations are not being heard,” he said at Thursday’s meeting.
This revelation comes as new COVID-19 hospital admissions have edged up for the first time in over a month in California. According to health department data published Friday, the average daily number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals increased by approximately 4.5% over the past week, resulting in 1,874 new admissions.
Simultaneously, the concentration of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, has been rising in many Bay Area wastewater samples since late September.
Although hospitalizations and deaths are well below their pandemic peaks, data from the CDC published Monday indicates that more than 18,000 people in the United States are being hospitalized each week, with approximately 1,200 deaths. These numbers are expected to rise during the fall and winter months.
“I think there’s a lot of folks that say ‘I got the original ones. Aren’t we done here?’ or ‘I’ve had COVID, aren’t I protected?’ ” Cohen said. “I’m trying to help them understand two important facts: One is that the virus has changed. And this updated vaccine is mapped to those changes in the virus. The other fact is we’re seeing in the data that your protection from either a previous vaccine or from having COVID before decreases over time.”
A study published by the CDC earlier this month revealed that older adults, those aged 65 and above, accounted for 63% of all COVID-related hospitalizations recorded from January to August. More than 75% of those hospitalized this year were not up to date on their coronavirus vaccinations. The 65-and-older age group also constituted 61% of intensive care unit admissions and nearly 90% of COVID-19-related deaths.
“I want as many people vaccinated as possible,” Cohen said. “I certainly want to make sure that we’re getting to our over-65 population.”
Meanwhile, a new coronavirus variant called HV.1 has become dominant in the U.S. It was sequenced in 25.2% of cases over the past two weeks, according to CDC data published Friday.
“COVID-19 variants continue to emerge but have not resulted in rapid disease surges,” the CDC said in an update this week. “We continue to anticipate a moderate COVID-19 wave, causing around as many hospitalizations at the peak as occurred at last winter’s peak.”
Reach Aidin Vaziri: [email protected]
