Vaccine boosters provide robust protection against severe disease from the omicron variant in the United States, according to three reports released Friday that offer the first real-world data in this country showing the utility of the additional shots in keeping vaccinated people out of the hospital.
But the reports by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are arriving late to the winter surge in coronavirus cases that have choked the corridors of hospitals across much of the country.
When omicron was first identified in late November and began spreading rapidly in the United States, millions of vaccinated people lined up for the extra shots. But that has slowed. To date, 39 percent of fully vaccinated people have gotten the additional doses, according to the CDC. Some people may not be eligible for another shot if enough time has not elapsed since their most recent one.
Read more at The Washington Post.