Dismal Numbers

COVID apathy continues even as we head into the holiday season. I just don't understand this kind of complacency.

"A new Covid variant has become dominant amid slow uptake of the updated shots

"The HV.1 variant took over this week as the dominant variant in the U.S., but just around 3.5 % of the population has received an updated Covid shot thus far.

"A new Covid variant has become dominant in the U.S., but relatively few people have thus far gotten the new shots that could offer some protection against it.

"The variant, called HV.1, replaced EG.5 as the country's most prevalent this week, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The two variants are genetically similar versions of omicron.

"HV.1 makes up around 25% of Covid cases now, up from around 1% at the beginning of August. EG.5, meanwhile, represents nearly 22% of cases, down from 24% at the start of the month

"Both are descendants of the XBB variant. The updated Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which became available last month, target a different XBB descendant, called XBB.1.5.

"But disease experts say the new shots should offer cross-protection against the currently dominant strains. Dr. Scott Roberts, an infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine, said that although the vaccine is not a 'perfect match' for HV.1, 'it’s still a good match because it’s still within the same family of variant.'

"However, just around 3.5 % of the U.S. population — approximately 12 million people — have received the new Covid shots since they became available in mid-September, a CDC spokesperson said. He cautioned that the number is a rough estimate because states are no longer required to report vaccination numbers.

"'I hope uptick increases, but I’m pretty pessimistic,' Roberts said. 'I don’t think we’ll hit anywhere near the levels we had last year.'

"'The logistic complications certainly were not helpful, but I think that the low uptake is more than that. The low uptake reflects that most of the public is no longer concerned about Covid,' said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

"While the CDC recommends updated shots for everyone ages 6 months and up, Barouch said he’s particularly worried about low uptake among older adults and people who are immunosuppressed or have pre-existing medical issues.

"'What concerns me is not the overall low number of people getting boosted. What concerns me is the low frequency of high-risk people getting boosted,' he said."