NEW YORK, NY – A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday revealed that the latest COVID-19 booster shot offers a 54% increased protection for adults against becoming infected with the virus. The study, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that the shot provides protection against both the original strain of the virus and the more recent COVID lineages and mutations currently circulating nationwide.
Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious disease specialist at Northwell Health, emphasized the significance of the study’s findings, indicating that it should prompt more New Yorkers to receive the latest booster. However, he also acknowledged that the study has limitations, particularly in terms of data on the booster’s effectiveness in preventing severe COVID illness, including hospitalization and death.
The nationwide study analyzed over 9,200 people with COVID-like symptoms who were tested for the virus at CVS pharmacies or Walgreens locations between September 21 and January 14. Among those who received their booster shot seven to 59 days earlier, the vaccine was 58% effective in preventing symptomatic infection, while it was 49% effective among those who received their shot 60 to 119 days earlier.
Although past studies have largely focused on the vaccine’s effectiveness against hospitalization and serious illness, the CDC’s latest findings align with or surpass previous research on its effectiveness rate against actual COVID infection.
The study’s publication comes at a crucial time, as the percentage of Americans who have received the latest shot remains relatively low. In New York State, the figure is considerably lower at 11.6%, while Long Island represents one of the bottom 20% of all 62 counties statewide in terms of booster distribution.
Pediatric infectious diseases expert Dr. Andrew Handel from Stony Brook Children’s Hospital indicates that factors contributing to the declining booster numbers may include a decrease in enthusiasm for the vaccine and a perception that the current strain of the virus is less likely to cause severe disease over time.
As the COVID positivity rate has decreased in recent weeks after peaking at the start of January, public health officials and experts continue to emphasize the importance of receiving the latest booster to combat the ongoing spread of the virus.