Results of a study done on the efficacy of COVID-19 booster shots indicated there may be a need for another booster shot.
The VISION Network study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reviewed data from 10 states between Aug. 26, 2021 and Jan. 22, 2022. It found vaccine effectiveness against emergency department and urgent care visit dropped to 66% about four months after a booster shot, then to fell to 31% after five or more months.
The VISION Network reviewed 241,204 emergency department an urgent care visits and 93,408 hospitalizations. The decline to 31% protection is considered imprecise because of limited data on patients following a third, or booster shot; however, the study shows a consistent trend of declining vaccine efficacy. Researchers called the decline “significant.”
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“There may be the need for yet again another boost — in this case, a fourth-dose boost for an individual receiving the mRNA — that could be based on age, as well as underlying conditions,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration’s top COVID adviser, told reporters in a Wednesday briefing.
During the Feb. 16 briefing by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Dr. Jonathan Knoche, a DHEC medical consultant, said the department is monitoring reports being released at the federal level.
“I know there’s been discussion as well about the timing of a COVID vaccine, the second shot when people should get their second shot in the series and should that be pushed out further. So, these are all things that as scientists and physicians and public health leaders, we constantly are assessing the data and trying to make evidence-based decisions,” he said.
The CDC also briefed reporters on the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations of pregnant women and their unborn child.
Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, Chief, Infant Outcomes Monitoring Research and Prevention Branch, said a new study finds vaccinations during pregnancy provides protection for infants before birth and for the first six months of their lives.
“When people receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, their bodies build antibodies to protect against COVID-19 and these antibodies have been found in umbilical cord blood, indicating that the antibodies have transferred from the pregnant person to the developing infant,” she said.
The study collected data from 20 children’s hospitals in 17 states between July 2021 and mid-January 2022.
Meaney-Delman said, “The study found that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was 61% protective. Meaning that babies less than six months old, whose mothers were vaccinated, were 61% less like to be hospitalized with COVID-19. And in fact, the majority of babies, actually 84% who were hospitalized with COVID-19, were born to people who were not vaccinated during pregnancy.”
DHEC has also announced plans to begin scaling back COVID-19 testing sites. With the growing use of rapid, home testing kits the agency has a steady decline in demand for drive-through PCR testing.
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The gradual closures will begin March 1.
March 1-14: Gradual closure of DHEC-managed vendor testing sites in all counties with five or more non-DHEC PCR test providers such as primary care providers, pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, hospitals, mobile providers, etc.
March 15: Change the frequency and type of data reporting to once per week rather than every weekday to best track where the virus’ impact is most severe.
March 14-April 1: Gradual closure of DHEC-managed vendor testing sites in all counties with 2-4 non-DHEC PCR test providers.
April 1: Begin closure of DHEC-operated PCR sites except in counties where DHEC is the only PCR-test provider or only other such provider. In those areas, DHEC also will provide mobile rapid antigen testing services.
Testing remains available in the Augusta area through a partnership between Augusta University Health and the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Drive-thru testing is available Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Annex II, 524 15th Street in Augusta. For travel testing: Call 706-721-1852 to schedule a travel test.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
