SOS Blog

By Safely Opening Schools

Contrary to what you may hear, the pandemic is NOT over, much as we may wish it so. The US is still experiencing 57,000 infections and over 400 deaths a day (compared to 200 in July of 2021) as a result of this virus. Long Covid is wreaking havoc on the lives of millions of Americans – with no known treatment. And more than 60,000 children were infected with COVID just last week, yet child vaccination rates remain extremely low (7% of 6 months to 4 yr olds with at least 1 shot and only 31% of 5-11 yr-olds fully vaccinated).

The good news: The US is replacing most of its COVID booster shots with new, improved, and updated versions that target the dominant Omicron strains. These “super boosters” can be found at a location near you and represent the single, best defense we have against another fall surge. New CDC data on vaccination/boosters found unvaccinated people 50+ were 12x’s more likely to die from COVID than those with 4 shots and those with 1 booster were still 2 x’s more likely to die than those with 2 boosters.

The bad news: Due to widespread disinformation, and a growing false sense of complacency, there’s a “booster hesitancy” epidemic in the US, with less than half of those eligible (2/3’s of Americans have completed their primary series of shots) for a first booster receiving it and only about 1/3 of Americans 50 and older eligible for a second booster getting it. Epitomizing this booster reluctance, is our country’s abysmal booster rate putting us at 72nd in the world - with every other rich country in the world having at least double our rate (despite repeated studies showing its lifesaving benefits). This is extraordinary given we are the lead manufacturer of this lifesaving technology and were the first to approve them too!

We need to do better. The new booster’s success in preventing the next wave of the virus depends on how many people choose to get them. And we know what happens if we do. A recent study by the Commonwealth Fund found that by simply making COVID booster shots available in September instead of November, we could prevent 137,000 hospitalizations, avert between roughly 7,500-18,000 lives by spring, and save between $63 billion and $109 billion in medical costs.

There is no time to lose! The reformulated shots aren’t just meant for the older and more vulnerable. Younger, healthier people often spread the virus to those at greater risk and also get long COVID. The updated boosters reduce their odds of getting infected in the first place (including help prevent Long Covid) and, in turn, spreading the virus to someone more vulnerable.

This pandemic is NOT over - and we’re all in this together. Now isn’t the time to let up, it’s the time to double down! Supercharge your immunity today!