Fauci: Boosters will be part of 'standard regimen' for COVID-19 vaccination



The Biden administration is reportedly planning to act soon to expand COVID-19 booster shot authorization to all U.S. adults, even as early as this week.

According to reports from Axios and the Wall Street Journal, the administration is reviewing data on booster doses in preparation for a push to make them available to all vaccinated adults. In the face of waning vaccine efficacy, health experts are strongly recommending that older people and anyone with underlying health conditions get an additional vaccine dose to protect against serious illness or death.

"As every month goes by, the immunity wanes more and more. So as time goes by, you're going to see more vaccinated people" come down with breakthrough infections, said NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the president, in an interview with Axios.

While noting that most breakthrough COVID-19 infections aren't severe, Fauci advised that elderly people are at higher risk because they're "more likely to have waning of protection over time."

Fauci has previously advocated for booster shots In public statements and in reported private conversations within the administration. However, other officials with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have expressed reservations about expanding access to boosters for all adults, arguing instead that they should be reserved for the most vulnerable.

For instance, Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's advisory committee on vaccines, has expressed concerns over people under 30 taking booster shots.

""I worry about this broad use [of boosters] now," he said in October. "Certainly, I don't agree with [booster doses] down to 18 years of age at all. Maybe 30 [years], I'd feel a little better, because the 18-year-old is at higher risk of myocarditis."

Other experts share this skepticism.

Nevertheless, while the Biden administration has yet to act, several state and local governments have already made booster shots widely available for those who want them. California, Colorado, Arkansas, and New Mexico are offering boosters to all vaccinated adults once six months have passed since their second shot, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"We want you to get the booster because the data indicates that the effectiveness of the vaccine deteriorates over time," said Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R).

A study published in the journal Science earlier this month found that the effectiveness of all three COVID-19 vaccines among 780,225 fully vaccinated veterans dropped from 87.9% in February to 48.1% in October. The study looked at adults of all ages, but nearly half were over 65 years old and about one-third were between 50 and 64.

The FDA in September authorized COVID-19 booster shots with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for adults 65 and older and individuals 18 through 64 years of age who have a high risk of developing severe COVID-19. Earlier this month, Pfizer and BioNTech SE asked the FDA to authorize a booster shot of their vaccine for all people age 18 and older.

According to the CDC, only 36% of Americans 65 and older have received a COVID-19 booster shot.

"I believe it's extremely important for people to get boosters, and I am hoping very soon we will see a situation where there won't be any confusion about who should and should not get boosters," Fauci told Axios.

"In my opinion boosters are ultimately going to become a part of the standard regimen and not just a bonus," he added.

Biden administration poised to announce COVID-19 booster shots for all Americans, contradicting FDA, CDC guidance: Report



The Biden administration is reportedly in agreement that the majority of Americans should receive a COVID-19 booster shot eight months after becoming fully vaccinated, according to a Tuesday CNN report.

The report is a stark contrast to federal health officials' previous position, in which they said that the general population did not need booster shots.

What are the details?

CNN reported that the Biden administration is purportedly discussing agreements for a booster-shot plan, which would begin in mid- to late September, pending FDA authorization.

Pfizer and BioNTech, which worked together to develop a first COVID-19 vaccine, have reportedly submitted initial data to the FDA to support the plan to make available COVID-19 booster doses.

The plan, CNN noted, could be announced as early as this week.

"Given that healthcare workers and nursing home patients were first to receive their shots, the administration currently expects they'll be the first to receive boosters as well," the report noted. "Older populations who were also at the front of the line for first vaccinations would be next, the source said. This is the current booster plan for those who got vaccines with two doses. Officials are still gathering data for Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine. Experts currently anticipate that those who received J&J will need booster shots as well, but they will make that decision once they have more data, a source familiar with discussions told CNN."

Last week, the FDA authorized third doses of an initial two-dose vaccine for immunocompromised Americans. The Centers for Disease Control followed up the FDA's announcement by endorsing the third jab.

In their recent research, Pfizer and BioNTech agreed that a third dose "elicited a significantly higher antibody response against the initial strain of coronavirus, as well as the Delta and Beta variants, compared with what was seen among people who got two doses."

The company in a statement added, "Given the high levels of immune responses observed, a booster dose given within 6 to 12 months after the primary vaccination schedule may help maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19."

Dr. Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, added, "This initial data indicate that we may preserve and even exceed the high levels of protection against the wild-type virus and relevant variants using a third dose of our vaccine. A booster vaccine could help reduce infection and disease rates in people who have previously been vaccinated and better control the spread of virus variants during the coming season."

'Delta changed everything'

In July, researchers reported that Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine would not require a second or booster shot of the vaccine.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have said that their two-dose vaccines are protective for at least six months following the series of shots.

According to the Washington Post, the move is a near about-face from senior administration officials who in recent months said it was "far too toon to conclude that Americans would need booster shots."

Indeed, in July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA issued a joint statement that read in part, "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time."

The Post noted that the White House on Monday night declined to comment on the reports.

"I think Delta changed everything," one person reportedly familiar with the plan said.