There’s been a distinct pattern over the last 18 months when it comes to COVID-19. What happens in the east, inevitably spreads westwards, and the United States has consistently been 2-6 weeks behind Europe. Let’s look at some data from the last few days, from two countries which keep very accurate records—Ireland and Israel:

Israel, reported in the Jerusalem Post:

“As of Sunday, Israel had 525 patients in serious condition, 162 more than a week earlier. Of those, 404 are over 60, with 277 of them fully vaccinated. Considering the serious cases per 100,000 people over 60, there are 21 cases among the vaccinated – who are over 90% of the cohort – while among the unvaccinated it is 135”

Ireland, reported in The Times:

“Almost half of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital so far this week have been fully vaccinated, the HSE director-general has said. 49 per cent of the 206 people in hospital with the disease were fully vaccinated, while 58 per cent of patients in intensive care were not vaccinated at all, 24 per cent were fully vaccinated, and 18 per cent were partially vaccinated”

This data reveals a couple of things. Firstly, the proportion of vaccinated patients in hospital is steadily increasing. This however was inevitable, as higher percentages of the population are vaccinated. Secondly, there is a higher proportion of unvaccinated who are seriously ill (especially when you consider the high percentages vaccinated in both countries) .

Governments in both Ireland and Israel are promoting booster COVID doses for vulnerable groups, which gets to 3 additional points:

1.Immunity from COVID vaccines appears to wane over time.

2.Preparations should take place for the fall and winter colder months when more people will be driven indoors, the ideal environment for respiratory infections.

3.We should keep razor sharp focus on those vulnerable groups, with weaker immune systems.

What are my views on what’s happening? As I’ve said for over a year now, the virus that causes COVID is not like the smallpox or polio virus. It’s an unstable virus that has shown the ability to rapidly mutate. An eradication, or aggressive “Zero COVID” strategy, is not only unrealistic—but also potentially harmful when you consider what that means for shutting down society. I am all for anything that gets back to a core fundamental of good medical practice; risk-stratification and approaching medical situations with common sense and reality (three things that have frequently been forgotten over the last 18 months). I am also very glad it’s 2021 and not 1721. If we know immunity wanes in the elderly and vulnerable, and we have something available that can protect them from disease, we should utilize it. That’s why I am personally recommending my elderly relatives in the UK, strongly consider a COVID booster dose in preparation for winter if they are offered one. They had no issues with the first and second doses, so a third dose that could give them a bit more protection is a good thing. Life is precious.

What about booster doses for everyone else who is already vaccinated, especially completely healthy people in low risk groups? Well that, I’m not so sure about or on board with at all. Especially when large swathes of the rest of the world, hundreds of millions of people many of them vulnerable, struggle with even getting one dose.

Suneel Dhand is a physician, writer, and YouTuber. He is Founder at MedStoic Lifestyle Medicine and DocsDox . Follow him on YouTube and Facebook.