Only a third of Americans have received their second COVID-19 booster shot, despite the fact that over 61 million adults over 50 are eligible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that less than half of Americans over the age of 5 who are eligible to receive their first booster shot have actually received it.

CDC data indicates that COVID-19 booster doses are significantly increasing protection against severe forms of COVID-19 disease and death, particularly among older Americans, even though the immunity provided by vaccines continues to wane over time.

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Among those 50 years of age and older, the risk of dying from COVID-19 was 29 times higher in the unvaccinated group than in the fully vaccinated and double-boosted group.

The risk of death for those who were not immunised in April was 42 times greater. Despite a decline in vaccine effectiveness, data indicate that shots continue to play a significant role in preventing serious illness.

One booster dose of vaccination increased the risk of dying from COVID-19 by four times in adults aged 50 and older compared to two booster doses of vaccination.

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Hospitalization rates for older Americans are significantly higher than for any other age group, especially for those over 70. In the United States, those aged 70 and older visit hospitals 10.5 times more frequently than those between the ages of 18 and 29.

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s COVID-19 coordinator, told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz last month that if you are 50 or older and have not gotten a shot this year, it is absolutely crucial that you go out and get one right away.

Currently, approximately 6,100 Americans who have the virus check into hospitals every day on average. Approximately 43,000 patients hospitalised nationwide are currently virus-positive.

The overall number of hospitalised patients has also been stable for several weeks. However, the number of patients hospitalised with the virus remains significantly lower than at the country’s peak, when more than 160,000 were hospitalised.

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Furthermore, while death tolls remain significantly lower than during other periods of the pandemic, hundreds of Americans are still dying from COVID-19 every day.

According to the CDC, nearly 400 American deaths from COVID-19 are reported each day, and the country has reported more than 2,700 deaths in the last seven days.