US Health Officials Urge Older Adults to Get Latest COVID-19 Vaccine
2024-03-03
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1U.S. health officials are urging older adults to get an additional updated COVID-19 vaccine shot.
2The advice for Americans 65 and older was recently issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
3A statement by CDC Director Mandy Cohen explained the new guidance.
4"Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older. An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection ... for those at highest risk."
5The CDC said an additional dose of the vaccine can provide increased protection, even if older adults received the updated shot version launched last autumn.
6The new guidance suggests individuals who did receive the updated shot - which became available last September - should wait at least four months before getting the latest dose.
7The CDC's decision, or recommendation, came after much debate over whether to say older people "may" get the shots or "should" do so.
8That discussion demonstrates the ongoing debate among experts about how necessary additional COVID-19 shots are.
9Some doctors have said they think most older adults are effectively protected after getting the shot last autumn.
10And studies have suggested the shots stay effective for six months.
11But health officials have noted the body's vaccine-activated defenses can decrease over time, especially in older people.
12The CDC had recommended additional COVID-19 shots, called boosters, for older adults in 2022 and 2023.
13COVID-19 can still present serious health risks, especially to older people and those with existing medical conditions.
14The CDC says there are still more than 20,000 hospitalizations and more than 2,000 deaths each week from COVID-19. Individuals 65 years and older have the highest hospitalization and death rates.
15Some members of the CDC group that approved the latest advice said the word "should" in the guidance is meant to persuade more doctors and drug stores to offer the shots.
16"Most people are coming in either wanting the vaccine or not," Dr. Jamie Loehr told The Associated Press.
17He is a member of the CDC's deciding committee and a family doctor in Ithaca, New York.
18"I am trying to make it easier for providers to say, 'Yes, we recommend this.'"
19In September, the government ordered a new COVID-19 shot based on a version of the virus called XBB.1.5.
20That single-target vaccine replaced combinations that had targeted both the first COVID-19 version and a much earlier Omicron version.
21The CDC recommended that vaccine version for everyone 6 months and older.
22It also urged people with weak immune systems to get a second shot up to two months after the first.
23But most Americans did not listen to that advice.
24The latest CDC data shows that 13 percent of U.S. children got the shots, while 22 percent of U.S. adults did.
25The vaccination rate for adults 65 and older is higher, at nearly 42 percent.
26"People are tired of getting all these shots all the time," Dr. David Canaday told the AP.
27He is an infectious diseases expert at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
28Canaday, who does not serve on the CDC's advisory group, added, "We have to be careful about over-recommending the vaccine."
29I'm Bryan Lynn.
1U.S. health officials are urging older adults to get an additional updated COVID-19 vaccine shot. 2The advice for Americans 65 and older was recently issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 3A statement by CDC Director Mandy Cohen explained the new guidance. "Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older. An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection ... for those at highest risk." 4The CDC said an additional dose of the vaccine can provide increased protection, even if older adults received the updated shot version launched last autumn. 5The new guidance suggests individuals who did receive the updated shot - which became available last September - should wait at least four months before getting the latest dose. 6The CDC's decision, or recommendation, came after much debate over whether to say older people "may" get the shots or "should" do so. That discussion demonstrates the ongoing debate among experts about how necessary additional COVID-19 shots are. 7Some doctors have said they think most older adults are effectively protected after getting the shot last autumn. And studies have suggested the shots stay effective for six months. 8But health officials have noted the body's vaccine-activated defenses can decrease over time, especially in older people. The CDC had recommended additional COVID-19 shots, called boosters, for older adults in 2022 and 2023. 9COVID-19 can still present serious health risks, especially to older people and those with existing medical conditions. The CDC says there are still more than 20,000 hospitalizations and more than 2,000 deaths each week from COVID-19. Individuals 65 years and older have the highest hospitalization and death rates. 10Some members of the CDC group that approved the latest advice said the word "should" in the guidance is meant to persuade more doctors and drug stores to offer the shots. 11"Most people are coming in either wanting the vaccine or not," Dr. Jamie Loehr told The Associated Press. He is a member of the CDC's deciding committee and a family doctor in Ithaca, New York. "I am trying to make it easier for providers to say, 'Yes, we recommend this.'" 12In September, the government ordered a new COVID-19 shot based on a version of the virus called XBB.1.5. That single-target vaccine replaced combinations that had targeted both the first COVID-19 version and a much earlier Omicron version. 13The CDC recommended that vaccine version for everyone 6 months and older. It also urged people with weak immune systems to get a second shot up to two months after the first. 14But most Americans did not listen to that advice. The latest CDC data shows that 13 percent of U.S. children got the shots, while 22 percent of U.S. adults did. The vaccination rate for adults 65 and older is higher, at nearly 42 percent. 15"People are tired of getting all these shots all the time," Dr. David Canaday told the AP. He is an infectious diseases expert at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. 16Canaday, who does not serve on the CDC's advisory group, added, "We have to be careful about over-recommending the vaccine." 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 19_____________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21update - v. add new information to something 22dose - n. the amount of medication to be taken at one time 23immune system - n. the cells and tissues in the body that fight against infection