The Fairfax Health District is doing well when it comes to getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
As of yesterday (Monday), 65.5% of residents are fully vaccinated, outpacing the 59.1% national rate, according to Fairfax County Health Department data.
Overall, 74.7% of residents have gotten at least one vaccine dose, including at least 80% of every age group except for 25-34 year olds (78.6%) and 5-11 year olds, who only became eligible in early November.
However, evidence suggests that the immunity provided by the vaccines has started to wane, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand eligibility for booster shots to all adults earlier this month.
The vaccines remain effective overall, particularly at preventing severe illness and death, and offer more consistent protection from COVID-19 than the immune response that comes with infection, but recent data indicates their ability to counter infection and mild illness declines over time, according to the CDC.
In addition to reinforcing recipients’ immunity, boosters can also use updated versions of the vaccine tailored to target variants of the coronavirus that have emerged since the primary doses were administered.
While some parts of the world wait for any vaccine access, President Joe Biden and the CDC urged Americans yesterday to get vaccinated if they haven’t already and to seek a booster if they have, as scientists race to learn more about the new omicron variant.
So far, more than 180,000 Fairfax Health District residents have gotten a booster or a third dose, including 51.3% of 75 to 84 year olds, according to the FCHD.
Are you itching to get boosted, or are you more on the skeptical side?
