Health Officials Face Obstacles In Encouraging Americans To Receive Updated COVID-19 Vaccines

Politico (8/29, Cirruzzo) reports, “New COVID-19 vaccines are hitting the shelves just as a summer surge infects people across the nation,” leaving public health officials to contend with a “myriad of obstacles as they try to boost the population’s defenses, including dwindling enthusiasm for the shots, lackluster testing and the end of a program meant to help the uninsured get vaccinated.” While the new vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna “target KP.2,” the most prevalent COVID-19 strain in June, “related subvariants, KP.3 and KP.3.1.1 – now the most prevalent strains – are estimated to account for more than half of U.S. cases, according to the CDC.” However, health experts emphasize that these new vaccines are still effective and advise “everyone older than 6 months get their Covid (and flu) shot ‘in September or October ahead of the expected increases in both viruses this winter.’”