By adding boosters, the government would be expanding its already massive vaccination campaign. Approximately 200 million Americans have received at least one vaccine shot.
Variants like the Delta variant have caused major concern among scientists about the effectiveness of vaccines to stop virus mutations, who aim to answer the question as data comes in. Data from analyzing reported COVID-19 infections in residents of nearly 15,000 nursing homes and other long-term care facilities revealed that both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are less effective now, falling from 74% in March to 53% by July. Another study in New York State showed that vaccines protected against hospitalizations by 95% during a three-month period but effectiveness against new variants declined from 92% in early May to 80% by late July. A Mayo Clinic data report from Minnesota about patients showed that Moderna’s vaccines was 76% effective against the Delta variant, while Pfizer’s was 42%.
As vaccine protection is expected to wane over time, officials estimated an eight-month timeframe for protection.
The Delta variant has worsened conditions across the country, leading to packed emergency rooms in the South and West, with 140,000 cases per day on average, skyrocketing four times higher than just a month ago. Covid-19 has killed over 620,000 Americans.