Based on a recent CDC study, the Covid-19 bivalent booster cuts the risk of developing symptoms from the most prevalent subvariant currently circulating in the U.S. by about half.
According to new data that will be released on Wednesday and posted on the CDC website, people who received an updated vaccine decreased their risk of dying by almost 13 times when compared to people who did not receive any vaccinations and by two times when compared to people who received at least one monovalent vaccine but no updated booster.
The new findings were “reassuring,” according to CDC officials who stated this during a briefing on Wednesday. However, only 50 million of the 50 million eligible Americans have received the new shot since it was introduced in September, or 15.3% of the population.
As of last week, the CDC projected that the highly contagious Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, also known as “the Kraken” by some, would account for just over 49% of SARS-CoV-2 cases in the United States.
The most transmittable variant to date, according to the WHO, is XBB.1.5, which is circulating in numerous countries. Despite the fact that a catastrophic wave has not yet materialised in the United States, this month has seen an increase in deaths due to Covid-19, with an average of 564 deaths per day as of January 18 as opposed to an average of 384 around the same time in December.
The bivalent booster offered 48 percent more protection against symptomatic infection from the XBB and XBB, according to a recent study on vaccine efficacy that used information from the national pharmacy programme for Covid testing. Comparing individuals who had only previously received two to four monovalent doses with those who had received the booster in the previous two to three months, researchers discovered 1.5 subvariants.
Although the CDC estimates that only about 2% of U.S. cases last week were caused by the BA.5 subvariant, it also offered a 52 percent greater protection against symptomatic infection from that strain.
Officials from the CDC issued a warning, noting that the results only represented the population-level protection rate and that each person’s risk of infection varies.
The author of the vaccine effectiveness study that was published in MMWR on Wednesday, Ruth Link-Gelles, said that it was difficult to interpret the results as an individual’s risk because everyone is different. “Their immune systems and prior infection histories differ from ours. They may have preexisting conditions that increase or decrease their risk of developing COVID-19 disease.
She added that the duration of the bivalent booster protection was uncertain due to the limitations of the study.
It’s too soon to predict how the bivalent vaccine will cause waning, she said. “What we’ve seen in the past is that for more serious illnesses, your protection lasts longer. Therefore, even though your defences against symptomatic infection may deteriorate over time, you’re probably still protected against more serious disease for a longer period of time.
(With Inputs from Politico)
❤️ Support Independent Journalism
Your contribution keeps our reporting free, fearless, and accessible to everyone.
Or make a one-time donation
Secure via Razorpay • 12 monthly payments • Cancel anytime before next cycle
(We don't allow anyone to copy content. For Copyright or Use of Content related questions, visit here.)
The Chenab Times News Desk