The Los Angeles Post

White House touts vaccine amid faltering booster rollout

by · Published · Updated

The White House is pushing newly released data on the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccinations as uptake for the updated bivalent booster shot remains low one month after it was authorized.

  • A new study from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, estimated that coronavirus vaccines were linked to roughly 670,000 to 680,000 fewer hospitalizations as well as 330,000 to 370,000 fewer related deaths from September 2020 to December 2021.
  • According to HHS, these estimates represented between 39 and 47 percent fewer deaths than in a possible scenario in which vaccines were not available. The research did not include potential cases that were averted, with HHS citing the rise in at-home testing that isn’t reported to officials.
  • On top of these potentially averted deaths and hospitalizations, the HHS study estimated more than $16 billion in direct hospitalization costs were saved due to immunization.

In a press briefing on Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said this research “doubles down on the work that we’re doing on vaccination.”

 

“We’ve been trying to make sure that we stay ahead of this virus and keep America not only healthy but strong and keep our economy healthy and strong,” said Becerra.

 

White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha said almost every death due to COVID-19 in the U.S. is now preventable, adding that the administration was “laser focused” on reducing illnesses and deaths in the country, though he declined to give an exact numerical goal when asked.

 

Part of achieving the administration’s goal begins with “making sure that every American gets an updated COVID vaccine,” according to Jha.