US Faces Covid Death, Hospital Surge Without Fall Booster Push

Covid-19 deaths and hospitalizations could soar four-fold at the current vaccination rate under an upcoming winter surge, according to an analysis released Wednesday.

The report from the Commonwealth Fund underscores the need for a fall booster campaign that the study authors say could save tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in medical costs over the next six months.

Despite advances in vaccine development against Covid-19, uptake has dwindled and federal funding for vaccine roll-out is in jeopardy, Alison Galvani, one of the study authors, said in a statement.

“A major contributor to these phenomena is the perception ...