Coronavirus: US patient group calls for recurring Covid-19 boosters to cut through vaccine apathy – take-up not enough to curb pandemic

Fewer than one in three Americans have received an extra shot of the Covid-19 vaccine and one patient safety group thinks that’s a public health challenge.

The patient safety non-profit organisation ECRI said that adopting a booster shot schedule targeting emerging variants would create certainty and convince more Americans to get boosted and help reduce Covid-19 spread in communities.

“This is the call to action,” said Marcus Schabacker, president and CEO of ECRI. “Only 30 per cent of people who are eligible to get vaccinated actually have a booster. It’s not enough if we want to get this (pandemic) into an endemic state.”

Federal health agencies have cleared vaccine boosters for adults and teens, and last week, for children aged 5 to 11. The FDA is reviewing Moderna’s vaccine for younger children. Pfizer-BioNTech said its Covid-19 vaccine appears to be safe and effective for children under 5.

Federal health officials authorised a second booster shot for adults over 50 and people over 12 who have a weakened immune system.

Schabacker argues the trickling of booster recommendations has left the public confused and sceptical about when or whether people should get another shot beyond the first two doses. Cases are again on the rise even though hospitalisations have not significantly increased.