Government officials issue this new warning to vaccinated people!
This COVID precaution may be even more important than we first thought. New government warning to vaccinated people – here’s what to watch out for!
Just a few months ago, health officials were divided on whether a COVID booster shot was actually necessary. Now that extra dose is proving to be even more important than had been thought. New research shows that while immunity from existing vaccines wanes after five to six months, booster shots raise the vaccine’s effectiveness to new levels. Currently, public health authorities and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have officially approved this additional vaccination only for certain groups of people. But while these agencies may soon expand the group of eligible people, some state agencies are not waiting any longer.
Booster vaccinations already started!
According to U.S. News & World Report, at least 15 states have decided to expand booster vaccinations to adults: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Utah. On November 18, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont did not mince words in a warning to the vaccinated. The governor stated that the definition of “fully vaccinated” should now include all three vaccinations, especially for those who have not yet received their first vaccination.
“We are 11 months into the vaccination program. If you were vaccinated more than six months ago, I don’t think you are fully vaccinated,” Lamont said at a press conference (NBC Connecticut). “If you were vaccinated more than six months ago, now is the time to get your booster. I urge you to get vaccinated now.”
Change in vaccination status possible!
The CDC had previously expressed that its official definition of “fully vaccinated” could change with boosters. On October 22, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said that while the agency would not change the definition immediately until all people are officially eligible for a booster vaccination, it would consider updating it.
“We will continue to look at this. We may need to update our definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ in the future,” she said. The director also recently reiterated the effectiveness of supplemental vaccination for fully vaccinated individuals.
Disease rate significantly lower among boostered
.
“When we compare COVID-19 disease rates between those vaccinated with two doses and those who received a booster, the disease rate is significantly lower in those who received their booster, proving that our boosters are working,” Walensky said during a Nov. 17 White House COVID Response Team press briefing.
The CDC does not specifically advise fully vaccinated people or state officials to bypass official guidelines early. However, Walensky’s colleague, White House COVID advisor Anthony Fauci, MD, recently recommended this, telling Insider on November 16 that his goal at the moment is to “make it crystal clear that if you’ve been vaccinated, you should get a booster.”
“Right now, let’s not make it complicated,” Fauci told the news portal. “Make it really simple. If you’ve had a primary vaccination, get a booster.”
Applications underway
According to the New York Times, both Pfizer and Moderna have applied to the FDA to expand booster vaccination to all adults in the U.S., and the agency could grant the two vaccine makers’ applications as early as this week. The current guidelines – which limit booster shots to recipients of either mRNA vaccine who are 65 and older or younger and at high risk of COVID – are broad, but tens of millions are still technically ineligible.
Fauci added to Insider that current FDA and CDC guidelines have led to confusion over who is and isn’t eligible for a booster shot. According to the CDC, while more than 31 million people have already received a booster shot, that’s only 16 percent of the total population that is fully vaccinated. And only 37 percent of people 65 and older have received a booster shot, even though that entire age group is eligible.
“We need to have almost all people who received the initial vaccination get a booster,” Fauci told the news agency. “Even though, for the most part, the vaccines without a booster protect quite well against hospitalization, especially in younger people.