Contrary to claims made by the Biden regime and the media, the decline in the number of young people receiving a COVID-19 booster compared to those of older ages has not been linked to a surge in hospitalizations.
Recently released information from three major healthcare systems, two in New York and one in Israel, indicated that a lack of COVID-19 booster doses for younger people are not becoming severely ill and did not increase hospitalizations.
“Data from the three large health care systems in New York and Israel since September 1 indicate that the low booster uptake for people under 65 has not led to high Covid hospitalization rates for this group,” CNN reported.
“Even if they’re not getting boosted, young, healthy people are not getting super sick from this,” said Dr. Mangala Narasimhan, a senior vice president at Northwell Health, the largest health care provider in New York state. “We’re not seeing it. It’s not happening.”
The outlet added, “The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed a framework for annual Covid vaccinations for all Americans over the age of 6 months, but at a meeting with its vaccine advisers last month, it did not come up with a concrete plan. Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are scheduled to meet February 24 to discuss the future of the US Covid-19 vaccination program.”
The bivalent booster was released in September, but it has seen little uptake. According to the CDC, just around 16% of the US population has received it and the rate is even lower for those under the age of 65.
“I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” said Dr. Ran Balicer, Director of the Clalit Research Institute and chairman of Israel’s Covid-19 National Expert Advisory Panel.
“I think when you’re under 65 and healthy, it’s a much more complex question, and I think that’s where individual risk assessment and personal preferences come into play,” he continued.
Dr. Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that the data from these three major healthcare systems was consistent with what was happening in Massachusetts.
“We know that hospitalizations are much higher for people age 80 and above, somewhat higher for people in their 70s, and very, very low for people who are younger than 60s. So, that’s very much like the data that you’ve seen,” Kuritzkes told WVBC-TV, an ABC affiliate in Boston.
“We know health officials would want to improve those rates, but if younger people don’t really get that sick from COVID do we need to worry so much about whether they are in fact boosted or not?” Anchor Erika Tarantal asked.
“I think that’s an important question, to be honest. We really just don’t know. That was a big point of controversy at the recent FDA advisory panel hearings on exactly what to advise younger people. To paraphrase the old World War II song, someday we’ll boost again, don’t know how, don’t know when, but people will be boosting at some point, but we honestly don’t know how soon they’ll need it.” Dr. Kuritzkes said.
“I think we’ll have to see is there a time at which younger people begin to start getting more seriously ill. And I think it’s important to point out these have to be healthy young people. I wouldn’t defer a vaccination if you had a preexisting condition that places you at greater risk for severe COVID regardless of age,” he continued.
Watch the video below:
Lack of COVID-19 boosters not causing surge in hospitalizations
Source: WCVB Channel 5 Boston (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/Lf8uBsNiDs— Wittgenstein (@backtolife_2023) February 20, 2023
In the UK, the British government officially declared that it would no longer require healthy people under the age of 50 to receive COVID booster doses.
As the UK begins to recover from the pandemic, the universal Covid vaccine program will be phased out this year.
“As the transition continues away from a pandemic emergency response towards pandemic recovery, the [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] JCVI has advised that the 2021 booster offer (third dose) for persons aged 16 to 49 years who are not in a clinical risk group should close in alignment with the close of the autumn 2022 booster vaccination campaign,” the government said in a news release.
In Denmark, it was no longer possible for children and adolescents aged under 18 to get the first COVID vaccine injection and the second injection.
Only those who are over 50 and those who are at higher risk are eligible for COVID shots.
