New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
No rush yet for COVID booster shots in Connecticut
More than three weeks after medical providers in Connecticut started giving out COVID-19 booster shot for some Pfizer recipients, less than a third of eligible people age 65 and older have gotten the extra doses.
As federal officials move toward approving Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for booster doses, the pace of the Pfizer shots suggests demand is unlikely to come near the first rollout.
State officials say supply is ample. But unlike last winter and spring, the Lamont administration is not making a broad and energetic push for the boosters — with a lower-key promotion to eligible people.
When Connecticut providers began adminsitering the Pfizer boosters on
Sept. 24, state officials said about 270,000 residents 65 and older qualified.
Since then, 84,568 adults 65 and older
have gotten either a booster or third dose, data provided by the state to
Hearst CTInsider shows. That’s about 31 percent of those who’ve been fully vaccinated for at least six months. It’s unknown how many people in this age group are immunocompromised and thus qualify for a third shot.
State officials do not count boosters and third shots separately. Boosters are given after at least six months to groups, including those 65 and older, who studies have shown may lose protection; third doses can be given anytime to people deemed to need the extra protection from the outset.
Approval for the boosters followed earlier authorization for third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for people with weakened immune systems, which started Aug. 13. Providers in the state, including pharmacies, hospital systems, physicians’ offices and clinics have administered 109,949
boosters and third shots since the August date.
The largest share, 42,958 doses, have gone to people ages 65-74, followed by 75-to 84-year-olds who received 31,975 of the doses.
Millions more Americans
could soon be eligible for Covid-19 booster shots, with a Food and Drug Administration panel recently recommending the extra doses for certain recipients of the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines.
In Connecticut, eligibility would open to hundreds of thousands of people. State officials say they are promoting the availability of the boosters to those who are eligible.
“We’re continuing to let eligible groups know the booster is available and we encourage those eligible to consult with their physician to ensure they’re doing everything they can to protect themselves from COVID-19,” Max Reiss, a spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont, said in a written statement Monday.
Connecticut continues to top the nation for its vaccination rates and data released by the state Monday shows the daily infection rate remains low, at 1.83 percent for the three days since Friday.
Howver, the number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 remains where it was three weeks ago, after weeks of decline.
Over the weekend, hospitals reported 15 additional inpatients for a total of
249, as fluctuations in a narrow range continue.
Public health officials have pushed boosters as way to boost waning immunity for older populations, who were among the first to get inoculated and who are at higher risk for severe illness and death.
“We're encouraged by the number of people who have gotten their boosters following CDC and FDA guidance thus far, and we look forward to further federal approvals and more residents following the advice of scientists and medical professionals,” Lora Rae Anderson, spokeswoman for the state’s chief operating officer, said in a written statement Monday.
The death of former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on Monday from complications of Covid-19 renewed attention on the rarity of severe breakthrough cases. Powell, 84, who was fully vaccinated, had undergone treatment in recent years for a type of blood cancer, which is known to weaken the immune system.
Connecticut has reported 144 breakthrough deaths. That’s less than one percent of all reported breakthrough cases. More than 71 percent of the deaths have involved people 75 and older. But the state has not released data showing the lengths of time the deaths occurred after the deceased were fully vaccinated.