As Omicron Crests, Booster Shots Are Keeping Americans Out of Hospitals
The New York Times
Extra vaccine doses were expected to lower infection rates. But the shots also seem to be preventing severe illness caused by the new variant, the C.D.C. reported.
Booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are not just reducing the number of infections with the highly contagious Omicron variant, they’re also keeping infected Americans out of hospitals, according to data published on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The extra doses are 90 percent effective at preventing hospitalization with the variant, the agency reported. Booster shots also reduce the likelihood of a visit to an emergency department or urgent care clinic. The data also showed that extra doses are most beneficial against infection and death among Americans ages 50 and older.
Over all, the new research indicates that the vaccines are more protective against the Delta variant than against Omicron, which lab studies have found is partially able to sidestep the body’s immune response.
