Biden Administration Recommends Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters Amidst Surging Infections and Breakthrough Cases

Strategic Insights -

The Biden administration has announced a recommendation for Covid-19 vaccine boosters, citing concerns over the highly infectious Delta variant and decreasing vaccine effectiveness over time. This decision comes despite the lack of FDA and CDC guidance or authorization for booster candidates in the general population. According to the White House, the booster shots will be recommended eight months after a person's second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, starting September 20th.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Biden administration's recommendation for Covid-19 vaccine boosters is based on emerging data from Israel and studies published on Wednesday, which showed a decrease in vaccine effectiveness over time against SARS-CoV-2 infection and a decline in protection against severe disease and hospitalization.
  • The data from these studies, including one from New York state which analyzed vaccine records from over 10 million residents, found that vaccine-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time, while vaccine effectiveness against severe disease, hospitalization, and death remains relatively high.
  • The White House anticipates that J&J boosters will be needed, but data is not expected for a few weeks due to delayed vaccination dates.
  • A NIH-sponsored multicenter clinical trial is currently underway, testing various combinations of dosages and boosters from all three major manufacturers, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and J&J.
  • The trial aims to pinpoint the most effective booster candidates and identify potential safety issues.
  • According to Dr. Kirsten Lyke, professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, there will be "really good, hard data" available from the clinical trial as early as September.

Statistics:

  • Over 10 million residents in New York state are included in a study that analyzed vaccine effectiveness over time, with increasingly clear trends emerging from the data after long-term analysis.
  • Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection declined from 92% to 80% between May 3rd and July 25th.
  • Vaccine effectiveness against infections that lead to hospitalization remained relatively stable, hovering between 92 and 95 percent during the same period.
  • A study analyzing data from over 80,000 people found that vaccine effectiveness against infection declined from 76% to 42% for those who received the Pfizer vaccine and from 86% to 76% for those who received the Moderna vaccine.

Sources:

  • HHS statement from August 18th
  • CDC press release from August 17th
  • Rolling Stone statements from August 17th
  • CDC press briefing on August 18th
  • New York Times article from August 16th
  • NIH mix and match study
  • Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials