A growing number of signals show vaccinations are starting to reshape the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S.
Hospitalizations and deaths among the elderly are falling, marking hopeful signs that an inoculation push aimed first at older Americans is bearing fruit. Deaths tied to nursing homes have plummeted. Seven-day averages for newly reported deaths have fallen below 1,000 again for the first time in more than four months.
Public-health researchers caution the pandemic is far from over, especially as newly reported U.S. cases plateau after a steep decline and more infectious coronavirus variants spread. But as this happens, the Americans who have long faced the highest mortality risk are increasingly protected.
“The people who die tend to be older,” said Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health. “And we’ve vaccinated a lot of people over 55 now.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites vaccinations among people aged 65 and higher. This group has on average represented more than four of every five Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. since the pandemic began, death-certificate data show. By Wednesday, more than 70% of this age group had received at least one vaccine dose, compared with almost 26% of the general population, CDC data show. Nearly 44% of people 65 and over are fully vaccinated.