Amid a nationwide campaign to promote COVID-19 booster shots, scientists say the original vaccines are still holding up remarkably well for most people.
carmengabriela/iStock(NEW YORK) Amid a nationwide campaign to promote COVID-19 booster shots, vaccine scientists and public health experts say vaccines are still holding up remarkably well for most people depending on how effectiveness is measured. In fact, many scientists now worry that the recent booster shot authorization could give the false impression that existing vaccines are no longer offering protection. "They all work well," said Dr. Paul Goepfert, an infectious disease physician and director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic. "They aren't perfect by any means. But if your bar is prevention of hospitalizations in the United States, they still work incredibly well." A vaccine's effectiveness can be measured in several different ways. One is their ability to protect people from mild infections. When first authorized, Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines proved 95% and 94% effective using this threshold, and Johnson & Johnson's singl
iStock/Pornpak Khunatorn(NEW YORK) The flu season is notorious for being difficult to predict. However, flu trends from last year and from other parts of the globe can help us make informed estimates. So far, experts are on the fence if this year's flu season may be mild like last year's, or if it may take a turn for the worse. But experts do agree on one thing; we can do our part by getting vaccinated. And according to newly released U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, about 52% of the U.S. population got a flu vaccination last flu season, which was similar to the prior season. The CDC and other public health agencies are trying to get even more people vaccinated this year because experts are worried about a worse flu season this year because population immunity is low due to a mild flu season last year. "We are preparing for the return of the flu this season. The low level of flu activity last season could set us up for a severe season this year,&qu