More Texans seek boosters than first shots
As the omicron variant of the coronavirus threatens to fuel another surge of infections this winter, the state’s vaccination data for recent months shows demand for booster shots has outpaced the demand for first doses of the vaccine — even as millions of Texans remain unvaccinated.
The number of people getting boosters in Texas has surpassed those getting their first shots since late September, according to the data, though the rate of first shots slightly increased in November and December.
As of Dec. 21, the daily average of Texans who received their booster shots over the previous week was about 52,000 — compared with about 20,000 who received their first doses.
So far this month, at least 1.2 million Texans have gotten booster shots — nearly triple the number of people who received their first doses of the vaccine during the same time.
The rush for the fully vaccinated to get boosted came as hospitals and medical experts braced for a surge in cases amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant and Texans altered their holiday plans for the second year in a row.
More than 50 percent of Texans are fully vaccinated, and nearly 15 percent have received their booster shots. Booster rates remain low across the country, but Texas ranks in the bottom 10 states.
In Texas, counties along the border and major metro areas have higher vaccination and booster rates compared with other parts of the state.
Getting a booster shot helps reduce the risk of having severe symptoms or being hospitalized, said Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious disease specialist at UT Health San Antonio.
Booster rates have gone up as the Food and Drug Administration has gradually authorized their use among different age groups. Adults 18 and older are allowed to get booster shots, and this month, the FDA authorized emergency use for 16- and 17year-olds who had the Pfizer vaccine as their initial twodose treatment, making them eligible to receive the same vaccine as a booster.
Meanwhile, the amount of people getting their first vaccine doses has waned in the last few months as vaccines have become more widely available and more people take the next steps in their vaccination regime. The state’s data shows a slight bump in first doses in November as Thanksgiving approached.
Even so, 10 million eligible Texans remain unvaccinated.
There isn’t one specific reason why first-dose rates lag behind booster shots, but Dr. Emily Briggs, who specializes in family medicine and has seen the split in the demand for the vaccine from her private practice in New Braunfels, largely credits ideology.
“We are at that point of anybody who believes in science acknowledges that we have had benefit from this vaccine. Those who are politically motivated or have been given fear and are focused on that fear are not vaccinated,” she said.
Briggs said many in her community are highly motivated to get the booster — including people over 65, teachers or residents who work in crowded places where exposure is high — but others are still hesitant.
Bowling said he’s unsure if people are heeding the call about boosters like they did when vaccines first became available — partially because of pandemic fatigue and the frequency with which vaccine guidance seems to change.
“Initially it was no vaccine versus getting a vaccine. So obviously that drew a lot of interest,” Bowling said. “It’s harder to get excited about the boosters, although they’re also extremely important.”
Among the unvaccinated, Briggs said, some have been motivated by the predicted holiday surge in infections to get their first shots, but she lamented that for some it comes too late.
“The motivation comes once the person’s in the hospital or they have a family member who’s in the ICU, and that’s well past the time,” Briggs said. “We wanted them to be able to protect themselves and their family long before it came to that.”
Local government and public health officials across the state have been asking residents to take precautionary measures as they travel and hold holiday gatherings, calling on them to get tested and vaccinated.
Gov. Greg Abbott has continued to advocate for “personal responsibility” toward vaccination while promoting therapeutic infusion centers and vaccines as the best defense against COVID-19. He has staunchly opposed vaccine mandates.
In Dallas County, the health and human services department is “doubling down” its efforts to get the message out about vaccines, spokesman Christian Grisales said. Strategies such as going door to door in block walks have enabled officials to engage with residents and counter distrust and misinformation, he said.
Vaccination and booster rates in Dallas County closely mirror state-level numbers. Although residents continue to get vaccinated, one problem that has emerged is the number who get their first shots of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine but fail to return for the second ones, Grisales said.
Dr. Anita Kurian, assistant director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, said the city has deployed an “army of community health workers” who spend almost every day doing outreach, particularly in areas that have been heavily affected by COVID-19.
Metro Health also organizes town hall discussions about the disease and tries to reach out to residents virtually, through social media and influencers, Kurian said. In Bexar County, about 60 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, and nearly 17 percent have received their boosters.
With the onset of omicron, Kurian said, now is the time to get boosted and mitigate exposure by masking, social distancing and asking about the vaccination status of others in one’s immediate environment.