Not enough people getting boosted against COVID-19 in U.S.: The Guardian

LONDON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Only 67 percent of the U.S. population are currently considered fully vaccinated and only 32 percent of the population have received a booster dose, British newspaper The Guardian has reported.

U.S. healthcare officials have repeatedly stressed the effectiveness of vaccines in mitigating COVID-19 but vaccine hesitancy as a result of misinformation, wariness and other factors continue to hold many back, according to the report.

"If they don't get vaccinated or they don't get boosted, they're going to get into trouble," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was quoted as saying. He added that the country's vaccine and booster rates are "quite discouraging."

In May, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, predicted that the United States may experience a major surge in winter with 100 million new infections and a significant number of deaths and hospitalizations, according to the report.