Booster shots control COVID spread, prevent hospitalizations, LI medical experts say
Data from the United States and other countries has consistently shown the benefits of boosters, says Dr. Steven Carsons, director of the Vaccine Center at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island. Credit: NYU Langone Health / Andrew Neary
Booster shots remain important in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and keeping people out of the hospital, even though there are indications their level of protection begins waning after several months, Long Island medical experts say.
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday showed that the booster’s effectiveness against hospitalization dropped from 91% two months after people received the shot to 78% four months later. That means that someone with a booster is 91% less likely to be hospitalized than an unvaccinated person after two months, and 78% less likely four months later.
That’s still a huge decrease in the chance of ending up in the hospital, said Dr. Steven Carsons, director of the Vaccine Center at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island.
Sean Clouston, an associate professor of public health at Stony Brook University, said "it’s not particularly surprising" that immunity wanes over time with the booster. That’s what happens after receiving the earlier doses, he said.
It’s still too early to say whether another booster dose will be necessary, he said.
The estimated 7 million Americans who are moderately or severely immunocompromised already are eligible for a fourth mRNA vaccine shot, and the CDC on Feb. 4 shortened the time period for the fourth shot to three months after the third one, instead of five months. On Friday the CDC updated its website to reflect that.
The study released Friday was of fewer than 200 people, and it's unclear if those studied primarily were people who have medical conditions that make them more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19.
Carsons said data from the United States and other countries has consistently shown the benefits of boosters.
In December, an unvaccinated person 65 or older was 51 times more likely to be hospitalized than someone with a booster shot, and 17 times more likely to be hospitalized than a fully vaccinated person who was not boosted, according to CDC data released last month.
And boosted people are less likely to contract and transmit the virus, Carsons said.
"The more people who are vaccinated and boosted, the less impact there will be on schools, businesses and everything else," he said.
David Olson covers health care. He has worked at Newsday since 2015 and previously covered immigration, multicultural issues and religion at The Press-Enterprise in Southern California.
