What Colin Powell's COVID-19 Death Says About the Current State of the Pandemic
When vaccinations began to roll out in the beginning of this year, it became evident almost immediately that people who received a full course of a vaccine—including the elderly—were less likely to become gravely ill from COVID-19. Before the Delta variant took hold in the summer, those 65 and over who had been fully vaccinated were hospitalized at a rate of less than 5 people per 100,000 on average, compared to about 40 per 100,000 among their unvaccinated peers.
Nevertheless, it remains a reality that the elderly—even those who are vaccinated—are at risk for serious COVID-19. Indeed, vaccinated people 80 and above have died at significantly higher rates than even some unvaccinated younger people, per the CDC . In part, this is likely because older people are more likely to have conditions that make them more susceptible to infection, or that blunt vaccinations’ impact.
It’s these factors that led a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna boosters specifically for Americans 65 and up in recent weeks. Another dose, the thinking goes, should help better protect our most vulnerable neighbors. Apublished last month showed that people over 60 who got a Pfizer booster were nearly 20 times less likely to develop severe disease, data that in part informed the FDA panel’s decision.
The key now is convincing vaccinated older Americans to get their booster shot, and getting those who remain unvaccinated to get their first doses. The former should be far easier—older Americans are vaccinated at much higher rates compared to younger groups, perhaps in part because they generally have more to fear from the virus, and those who got their shots once or twice will likely be willing to get another.
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