Boosters Are Effective Against Delta and Omicron Variants in Studies

Booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines increased protection against both the Delta and Omicron variants in three studies that looked at infections, hospital admissions and deaths in thousands of U.S. patients. Third doses of messenger RNA vaccines made by Moderna Inc. and the partnership of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE were at least 90% effective in preventing hospitalizations during both the Delta and Omicron periods, according to an analysis of hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and clinic visits. The shots’ protection against COVID deaths was diminished after Omicron’s rise, but remained significant, according to a separate study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The urgency for vaccinations and boosters has been flagging amid reports that Omicron causes milder disease than earlier variants. Yet many hospitals remain overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Omicron-infected patients, making prevention a key part of the battle against the coronavirus. Booster doses have been controversial, as many low- and middle-income countries have been unable to secure even first shots for their populations. Covax, the World Health Organization-backed program to distribute doses equitably around the globe, recently reached the milestone of delivering 1 billion doses, while more than 500 million have been administered in the U.S. alone. The WHO hasn’t endorsed the use of boosters, except for vulnerable po...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 News Desk wire Source Type: news