NYT HEALTH: Should You Get Another Covid Booster?
By Apoorva Mandavilli
Section: Health
Source: New York Times
Published Date: March 24, 2023 at 02:00AM
Roughly 300 people in the United States are still dying from Covid-related causes each day, a vast majority of them adults over 70 and people who are medically frail or have impaired immune systems. So should they get another booster shot now?
That’s the thorny question facing federal health officials.
About 53 million adults 65 and older live in the United States, accounting for about 16 percent of the population, according to the Census Bureau. And seven million Americans have weak immune systems because of an illness or a medication.
While infection with the coronavirus can be a matter of inconvenience or a mild illness for a relatively young and healthy adult, Covid can spell severe disease, hospitalization and death for older adults and immunocompromised people, said Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease physician and senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
By Apoorva Mandavilli
Section: Health
Source: New York Times
Published Date: March 24, 2023 at 02:00AM
Britain and Canada have authorized another round of booster shots for older and immunocompromised citizens. So far, U.S. officials haven’t followed suit.
For most Americans, the coronavirus has become a tolerable threat, on par with the flu, and requires minimal precautions, if any. But for older people and the immunocompromised, the virus still poses a formidable risk.Roughly 300 people in the United States are still dying from Covid-related causes each day, a vast majority of them adults over 70 and people who are medically frail or have impaired immune systems. So should they get another booster shot now?
That’s the thorny question facing federal health officials.
About 53 million adults 65 and older live in the United States, accounting for about 16 percent of the population, according to the Census Bureau. And seven million Americans have weak immune systems because of an illness or a medication.
While infection with the coronavirus can be a matter of inconvenience or a mild illness for a relatively young and healthy adult, Covid can spell severe disease, hospitalization and death for older adults and immunocompromised people, said Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease physician and senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/health/covid-booster-older-immunocompromised.html
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