This archive report was first published on 18 December 2021.
December 18, 2021, marked a turning point in the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as growing concerns about the Omicron variant prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) to recommend that all American adults receive a booster shot.
Recent studies have shown that a third dose of coronavirus vaccine may provide better protection against the worst outcomes of the Omicron variant, compared to the weaker antibody response generated by two shots.
According to data released by the C.D.C. in November, fully vaccinated individuals without a booster were at least two times as likely to test positive as those who received a booster shot.
Despite these findings, many Americans have not heeded the call for boosters. In Texas, emergency operations coordinator DeWayne Bush noted that demand for boosters had increased initially, but had since tapered off due to reports that the Omicron variant may cause less severe disease.
“Now, people have some questions about why was it such a big, huge issue,” Bush said.
In Phoenix, security guard Julian Montes, 19, expressed similar confusion about the need for additional vaccinations. “If the variants keep coming, is there going to be even more vaccinations we’re going to have to get?” he asked.
Montes' concerns were echoed by Brenda Washington, 64, a community organizer in San Francisco, who had been unable to make time for a booster until this week. “So do we have to get it or not?” she asked.
