CNN (10/5, Howard) reports, “COVID-19 vaccinations could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars this winter.” An analysis by The Commonwealth Fund found that “if 80% of eligible people receive their booster dose…it would prevent about 90,000 deaths and more than 936,000 hospitalizations and prevent $56 billion in medical costs in the next six months compared with the baseline scenario.” But, “if booster vaccinations remain at their current pace, the researchers found, a potential COVID-19 winter surge could bring a peak of about 16,000 hospitalizations and 1,200 deaths per day by March.”

Editor’s note:   I know that there is some controversy about the safety of these latest boosters.  I am keeping an eye on the situation, and Eileen and I are holding off for now, but at least we will get our flu shot soon.

The CDC says that 7.6 million people have received an updated booster dose.

CNN:

“As of Tuesday, about two-thirds of the US population, 67.9%, is fully vaccinated with at least their initial series, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But only about a third, 33.3%, of the population has received a booster dose.

“In late August, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized updated versions of the Covid-19 vaccine booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.

“That was the first time updated Covid-19 vaccines have received emergency use authorization in the United States. Federal health officials have said that Americans may need to get a single updated Covid-19 vaccination every year.”

–Paul Goldfinger, MD