On New Year’s Eve, a few days ago, well over 1 million people crammed into Times Square in New York City to watch the ball drop and ring in the New Year, 2023. All previous COVID-19 restrictions were waived, and everyone was invited to attend, regardless of their COVID-19 status or their vaccination status. The clear message was that the pandemic is over, and life has returned to normal. However, for the elderly, the end of 2022 does not mark the end of the reign of COVID-19. It is not known how many senior citizens were present in Times Square this New Year’s Eve to celebrate the end of 2022 and the end of pandemic restrictions, wonder how many seniors were present.
American seniors will continue to be vulnerable to COVID-19 in 2023, even as younger folk go about their lives as normal and get away with ignoring safety precautions. The thing to remember about the original one- or two-dose vaccination that many seniors received early on is the protection which fades over time, and for the elderly, it tends to fade more quickly because their immune system has already been compromised. Studies indicate that for the average person with a healthy immune system, the protection offered by the various brands of the COVID-19 vaccine lasts for only about five or six months. Boosters are intended to renew this fading protection and to provide added protection against new, more transmissible variants of the COVID-19 virus. However, research shows that those over the age of 65 years who received the initial vaccination are not getting the booster shots to prevent deaths from the virus.
Surveys indicate that more than 90 percent of American seniors received the initial vaccination, but only about 69 percent went on to get the first booster shot. The reason for this low number is that the federal government initially played a central role in distributing the vaccine to care homes and other providers of care for the elderly, but then left it to the care homes and other providers to obtain and administer the boosters. However, the eldercare providers are not equipped to handle boosting on the scale that is required to ensure that all their clients are boosted. To add to the problem, with the decline in the overall number of COVID-19-related deaths, the sense of urgency has also declined. Even worse is the widespread feeling across the country that the pandemic is over. Masks are no longer required, social distancing restrictions are lifted, people are gathering in large groups and travelling across the country as they did before the pandemic began. In all the relief that people are feeling about the “end” of the pandemic, the elderly tend to be forgotten, and their vulnerability is ignored.
The reality is that the pandemic is not over. The current average in the U.S. is about 500 deaths per day. That is a relatively low number, and it does not get reported in the media, but it is an important number for those who are vulnerable, especially for the elderly. Immunity from the initial vaccination has long since disappeared and you are as vulnerable as you were before getting vaccinated. Even if you have received a single booster shot, the protection offered by the booster declines and lasts no more than about six months. So, even if you have received one booster shot, you may need to get another one depending on how long ago you got the first one. As you look forward to the New Year, keep in mind that you can ensure an even better New Year by keeping up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.
Veena J. Alfred, PhD., Certified Dementia Practitioner
CEO/Administrator
