CDC reveals shocking new data about people who’ve gotten their COVID booster

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed people who’ve rolled up their sleeves for an extra layer of protection against COVID appear to be testing positive for the virus at a higher rate compared to people who’ve only gotten their full dose series. 

Data from the agency shows 119 out of every 100,000 boosted individuals have tested positive as of the week of April 23rd. This is compared to just 56 out of 100,000 people who tested positive who are vaccinated, but do not have a booster. 

News 8 spoke to Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health, who explains what factors might be contributing to these numbers. 

“Those who are boosted are more likely to get a test if they become symptomatic and therefore they show up in the statistics,” he said. “Those who haven’t been [boosted] may be more likely to get a home test or just not test at all. Therefore if they got symptomatic, they wouldn’t show up in these statistics. That’s certainly a possible explanation. It might be better understood if we knew more about the ages of the two different groups. It could help explain more.”

Another possible explanation, Doehring says, is that people who are not boosted may have gotten infected with the virus. Natural immunity provides protection and therefore these individuals may not see the need for a booster just yet. 

Doehring goes on to say there are so many variables at play and this data should not be a deterrent if a person has not yet gotten boosted. He recommends everyone who has been at least 6 months out from their full dose vaccination get their COVID booster.