Today, however, booster shots are a major omission in the federal government’s coronavirus response. There are no easy answers as to why or how it happened.
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Biden had hoped that all adults vaccinated should receive a booster. However, only half of them have received one. The percentage of Americans who have had a booster has stagnated at 30%, which is about half the rate in Western countries. New vaccinations overall are now at new lows post 2020.
Although booster uptake grew in countries such as Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom when the omicron variant was introduced, it never reached the United States.
There are many reasons why this is so.
One reason is that our vaccination rates are lower than those of many other countries. This means that the population who is eligible for boosters has a smaller pool. However, booster uptake is significantly lower than the percentage of eligible people.
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The United States has become a country of partisan vaccines. Republicans make up a large proportion of the unvaccinated. Vaccinated Republicans are also less likely to be boosted than vaccinated Democrats. This means that the booster campaign has actually exacerbated the partisan gap regarding protection against the coronavirus. This means that the majority of unboosted people are unlikely to listen and learn from the Biden administration.
It’s not just partisanship that explains it. These people were willing to take two shots but couldn’t be persuaded to get the third.
The confusing rollout is another possible reason. Health officials were not ready when Biden announced the rollout in August. Three months later, boosters would not be approved for adults – two months after White House’s Sept. 20 launch date. Some health advisors complained that Biden’s announcement placed pressure on apolitical advisers, something that has happened many times in Trump’s administration. The result was a series confusing messages about who was eligible for boosters, when they were recommended and who.
