If you have been watching the news, you know that deaths from COVID-19 are on the rise again after several weeks of increasing rates of new infections sparked by Omicron variants.
As a stealth wave of Covid makes its way across the US, those who have so far evaded the virus are now falling ill — while others are catching Covid for a second, third or even fourth time.
The U.S. averaged roughly 365 daily deaths, up 7% from about 342 two weeks ago. While that is still a fraction of where things stood several months ago when the daily average was in the thousands, there is growing concern that only about 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot.
This is extremely troubling because this age group continues to be at the highest risk for serious illness and death from covid-19.
According to a report from Kaiser Health News, “Among older people who died of covid in January 31% had completed a first vaccination round but had not been boosted ….”
The report continues, “Although the initial one- or two-dose vaccination course is effective at preventing hospitalization and death, immunity fades over time. Boosters, which renew that protection, are especially important for older people now that covid cases are rising again, more transmissible omicron subvariants are proliferating, and Americans are dropping their masks ….”
