Only 50% of eligible citizens in US have taken second Covid-19 booster jab

The US began supplying its Covid booster dose in the country in December last year. However, the current statistics have revealed that only half of the country has stepped into the jab.

As we move towards the end of the year, the government is hoping to push the citizens to get their shots, especially the elderly and people with weak immune systems. More than 61 million people over the age of 50 are supposed to be administered their second booster shot, of which around 20 million people have already got it. This is according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the same way, less than 50% of children under the age of five who are supposed to receive their first booster, have just got their second vaccine jab.


Covid-19 co-ordinator Dr. Ashish Jha has categorically informed all those who are 50 and above to go and get their shots as soon as possible. He was speaking to co-anchor Martha Raddatz on ABC TV.

It has been known that the effect of vaccines wanes gradually, but studies have shown that the booster dose protects the elderly and vulnerable from death and serious infection. Those who are 50 plus and who remain unvaccinated have a 29 times higher chance of dying or falling seriously ill in comparison to those who have got the jab and the booster.

Back in April this year, the chance of death was 42 times higher among those who didn't get the vaccine at all. Though the effect of the vaccine is weak, it has shown that people are still protected from severe disease and death even in the absence of the booster.

Among the vaccinated, those with a single booster dose had a 4 times higher chance of dying than those who completed their 2nd booster dose.

It has also been seen that 70-plus people are more prone to landing up in hospitals (10.5 times more) than people between the ages of 18-29.

More than 43,000 people are currently lodged in hospitals across the country at the moment. On average, around 6,100 people enter hospitals daily for treatment against Covid-19. The numbers have been stagnant for the time being and are far below the highs achieved during the peak of the pandemic, which figured more than 160,000 in hospitals. An average of 400 people die of Covid every day, and the USA reported 2700 deaths in the last week, as per the CDC.