Omicron: The Need to Sharply Step Up the Rate of Booster Shots

The rate of discovery of new Covid cases with the omicron variant, where it is present, which by now is just about everywhere, appear to be doubling every two or three days. You know how graphs look with that kind of exponential growth. Although, as one always hears, “there’s still a lot to be learned,” it seems well established that beyond six months after vaccination with two shots a few weeks apart, Pfizer and Moderna offer scant protection from omicron, but that a third (booster) shot of either of these brands offers excellent protection, especially against severe illness. It’s not known how long this booster protection lasts, but presumably for at least several months before gradually losing efficacy. One would think that everyone who got the recommended two-shot dose many months earlier in the year would be running, and not walking, to get their booster shot. (I got mine without having to wait in line on October 1st.) Yet I just read that 70% of people who have had two shots have not gotten their booster shot. These people aren’t anti-vaxers: Most of them got two shots many months ago. It’s puzzling and disturbing that the rate of booster shots is so sluggish. The result will likely be a considerably faster rise than need be in the rate of new omicron variant cases in the coming weeks.