Boosters for everyone
It looks as though the White House finally figured out the obvious: It’s time to roll out covid-19 booster shots to everyone, ASAP. Medical specialists are still debating the extent to which boosters are strictly necessary, given that one- and two-dose vaccine regimens seem to be protecting people against life-threatening disease. This has left behind a confusing morass of conflicting rules and blurry guidance.
Evidence has been mounting since early summer that the immunity provided by the vaccines starts to wane at or before the six-month mark. It’s not scientifically clear whether vaccinated people will be at risk, but why take a chance?
Yet so far, booster take-up has been slow. Only 15 percent of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster dose so far, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The numbers in the vulnerable 65-and-up group aren’t good either: only 36 percent.
With boosters, the main problem isn’t vaccine hesitancy. It’s the confusing set of criteria the U.S. has adopted for eligibility.
It’s just too hard to parse. Some people are advised that they “should” get a booster at the six-month mark. That guidance covers anyone who received a two-dose vaccine and is 65 or older; those between 50 and 64 with certain medical conditions; and younger adults living in long-term care settings. Others are told that they “may” get a booster after six months: that’s those 18 to 49 with medical conditions, or younger people working or living in “high-risk settings.” And then there are people who got the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine; they’re all directed back to the clinic at the two-month mark.
With instructions that convoluted, it’s hard for Americans to figure out whether they’re eligible. And as has unfortunately been the case throughout the pandemic, public-health agencies haven’t done much to make the message clearer.
The U.S. should clear up the confusion by issuing a simple instruction. There’s some question of the proper age and timing thresholds, but the right message, more or less, is: Everyone should get one. When it comes to public health, complexity is counter-productive.