More people are getting boosters right now than first vaccine shots: CDC

The number of Americans getting their booster shots is outpacing those who are getting their first vaccine dose, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the latest data, 190 million people are fully vaccinated in the U.S. and 12 million people have received their booster dose since it was authorized in August.

An average of roughly 340,000 people are getting a booster shot on a daily basis, compared to a daily average of 157,605 who received their first vaccine shot for the week ending Tuesday, government data shows, according to The Washington Post.

Wednesday just in: +751K doses reported administered over yesterday’s total, including 220K newly vaccinated and 320K additional doses/boosters. More details on additional doses/boosters to be added to CDC Data Tracker in the coming weeks.

— Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) October 20, 2021

The disparity isn’t particularly surprising given the demand for booster shots among the vaccinated population, and the fact that the unvaccinated population has had months to get a shot but has not so far.

But it points to how even with boosters available, a stubborn minority of Americans are likely to not take initial vaccinations or boosters. It is much easier for the coronavirus to spread the larger that population is.

An Axios-Ipsos poll published in August found that 20 percent of Americans said they either are not very likely or not likely at all to receive a vaccine.

There are now booster recommendations for all three available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, after the CDC on Thursday approved both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters. 

“These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement on Thursday.

“The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe – as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given. And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating delta variant,” Walensky said.

In October, federal data from the CDC showed that 78 percent of the adult population in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

The CDC also sent out guidance last week on preparing to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11 years old, which will further boost vaccination numbers. 

The FDA will meet again Oct. 26, to discuss granting emergency authorization for lower doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.