U.S. boosters surge to record-setting levels on Omicron fears

U.S. boosters surge to record-setting levels on Omicron fears. 

WASHINGTON: 7th December (Reuters) The news is that Americans are waiting in line to get their COVID-19 booster vaccines at an unprecedented rate. 

And there are concerns about the newly discovered Omicron coronavirus variant causing thousands of people to seek shots, as the U.S. government said on Tuesday.

A little more than 1 million people were given booster shots of any of three approved vaccines in the last week. It is the highest level since U.S. officials agreed to further shots for people in August, federal statistics show.

“In the past week, we’ve given around 7 million people a booster shot; this is a million booster shots for arms every day. This is more people receiving an injection for boosters per day than we’ve ever seen previously,” White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Tuesday. 

He noted that about 55% of those with an age of 65 or older who qualify to receive who had given a booster shot one.

All in all, the United States administered 12.5 million vaccines over the last week of the month, Zients stated at a White House briefing, its the highest number since May.

Nearly 47 million people across the United States have now received shots to boost their immunity, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information suggests. However, it is almost one-quarter of all the fully vaccination-free adults in the nation.

More than 10 million people have received the additional shots since Thanksgiving. When South Africa reported, it identified the highly altered Omicron variant that triggered a worldwide alarm of an increase in infections.

The increase is a 12.5 percent increase compared to the rate boosted before the Christmas season.

The spread of the virus and the desire for people to spend time with their families in the winter season and the public health messages have increased the need for boosters, said the expert in infectious diseases, Dr. William Schaffner.

“I’m encouraged, and if this rate remains, I’ll be extremely, very happy,” said Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

“For some time, the acceptance of boosters was occurring very slowly. Finally, however, there is some speed, and I’m thrilled by the speed.”

Boosters are an integral component in President Biden’s Omicron response strategy. It is believed that the White House is working with pharmacies and local authorities to help meet the growing demand for the product, Zients stated.

According to the spokesperson, Matt Blanchette, CVS Health Corp (CVS.N)has enough vaccine supply to meet the demand and is hiring more staff to administer doses. The pharmacy chain added more appointments at its sites.

“We’ve noticed a significant rise in the last two weeks, due to a variety of factors, including the advent of the holidays as well as the authorization of boosters for children and adults of all ages and the increase in variant news,” said Erin Loverher who is a Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. 

Initial evidence suggests that this variant may have more excellent transmission, but it is not as severe as the most renowned U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told reporters on Tuesday.