U.S. Would’ve Halved Winter COVID Hospitalizations With Denmark’s Booster Coverage, Study Finds
NEEDLESS SUFFERING
Nearly half of U.S. hospitalizations from COVID-19 this winter could have been prevented if the U.S. had rolled out booster shots as successfully as some European nations, a new study has found. According to the Financial Times, the number of COVID patients in U.S. hospitals in mid-January would have maxed out at 91,000—instead of 161,000—if the nation had delivered as many booster shots into arms as Denmark. The peak would’ve reached 100,000 if the U.S. had matched Britain’s rollout, and 109,000 if the U.S. uptake had been in line with Portugal’s, according to the newspaper. Peter Hotez, professor of virology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the data supports the notion that unvaccinated people in the U.S. are needlessly prolonging the length of the pandemic. “Biden is right when he says we’re facing a pandemic of the unvaccinated—but it’s also now becoming a pandemic of the unboosted,” the professor said.