The troublesome U.S. booster gap

Another potential reason is the confusing rollout. When Biden made the announcement in August, health officials made clear they weren’t quite ready for it. The boosters wouldn’t be authorized for all adults until three months later – two months after the Sept. 20 date the White House had pegged for the launch of its campaign. Some health advisers grumbled that Biden’s announcement put pressure on apolitical health advisers, something that happened repeatedly in the Trump administration. And what followed was a series of mixed and muddled messages about who was eligible to get boosters, who was advised to get them and when.

The Atlantic last week included this among a series of reasons for slower booster uptake. Others include the original belief that vaccination was a one-time deal, and the high number of breakthrough infections that occurred during omicron – which some people, especially in conservative media, cited as a sign the vaccines didn’t really work. (In fact, though infection rates among vaccinated people did rise, unvaccinated people were many times more likely to wind up in the hospital or dead.)

What’s troubling is that there’s little sign that uptake will increase any time soon. In fact, there are signs that opposition to boosters is actually increasing and hardening among the vaccinated.