Over three years into the coronavirus pandemic, public health officials are making new vaccine recommendations based on changing circumstances. Yet general concerns about the pandemic are consistently waning, and fewer people are strictly monitoring updated guidance, especially regarding vaccination.
Here is what to know about the current science and public opinion on COVID-19.
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What are the current public health recommendations on vaccination?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on May 12 an updated vaccination regime based on the patient’s age and risk of contracting COVID-19.
The CDC recommends that people aged 6 and older who received the original mRNA COVID-19 vaccine now receive the updated bivalent booster. Unvaccinated people can receive the same booster as their initial vaccine.
For those who are over the age of 65, the CDC recommends getting a second booster of the updated mRNA vaccine four months after their initial updated dose. Immunocompromised patients are advised to get their second booster two months after their initial updated dose.
The CDC still suggests that children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years receive two or three doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
In March, the World Health Organization recommended for public health officials to simplify their countries’ COVID-19 vaccination protocol. This is in part due to concerns that the push for COVID-19 vaccination compliance has increased vaccine hesitancy for all immunizations, which is particularly concerning for the prevention of other communicable diseases among children.
Which vaccines are now available?
The Food and Drug Administration removed approval for the original monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in April when it announced the approval of the newest mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations. After various complications, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was removed from the market on May 10.
The updated bivalent mRNA vaccines are intended to protect patients from the original coronavirus variant as well as the omicron BA.4/BA.5 variants. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna updated bivalent vaccines received emergency FDA approval based on the clinical trial data from the original monovalent vaccine.
Omicron BA.4/BA.5, however, accounts for less than 1% of current COVID-19 infections in the United States. Since the beginning of May, omicron XBB variants account for 97.4% of recorded COVID-19 infections in America.
Similar to its protocol for influenza vaccinations, the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the FDA will try to predict what variant will most likely circulate during the fall and winter months so that pharmaceutical companies make vaccines that are most effective against the dominant strains. The committee will be convening in June to provide manufacturers guidance on which variant should be the target of new boosters for the fall.
Has the public been getting vaccinated?
As of May 10, nearly 231 million, 69.5%, had completed the primary monovalent series of COVID-19 vaccination, according to the CDC.
Far fewer, though, are interested in the updated shots. Only 17% of the population has received an updated bivalent dose.
Few parents have felt it necessary to vaccinate their young children, with only about 11% of children 2-4 having received a single dose. Fewer than 1% of children in this age group have gotten the bivalent shot.
Seniors are more likely to have stayed up to date with new recommendations. Of those aged 50 to 64, 21.7% have gotten the updated booster, and 43.3% of those over 65 have also taken the most recent dose.
Vaccine take-up also varies significantly along partisan lines, according to a Gallup poll conducted in March. An overwhelming 82% of Democrats report being vaccinated, whereas only 43% of Republicans and 55% of independents report the same.
What does the public think about the pandemic in general?
A Morning Consult poll from May found that only 22% of adults are “very concerned” about the current state of the pandemic, compared to the peak of 65% in April 2020. The Generation Z population remains the most concerned at 33%, while only 19% of baby boomers report significant concern.
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More comprehensive data from the Gallup study found that only 49% say the pandemic is over. Opinions on this differ by party affiliation, as 75% of Republicans say the pandemic is over, compared to only 28% of Democrats and 55% of independents saying the same.
A significant portion of the public is still altering their social habits based on pandemic-era guidance. As of March, nearly 1 in 4 people still avoid large crowds, and 3 in 10 are still masking indoors as of March.
