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WASHINGTON – The Biden administration has decided that most Americans should get the coronavirus vaccine eight months after completing their initial vaccination, and could start offering additional vaccines as early as mid-September, according to two administration officials familiar with discussions.
Authorities plan to announce the administration’s decision as early as this week. Their goal is to let Americans know that they will need additional protection against the Delta variant which is causing an increase in the number of cases across the country.
The first recalls will likely be for residents of nursing homes and healthcare workers, followed by other seniors who were near the front line when vaccinations began late last year. Authorities are considering giving people the same vaccine they originally received.
Among other disturbing signals, officials in the Biden administration are particularly concerned about data from Israel suggesting that Pfizer-BioNTech’s protection against serious illness has declined significantly for older people who were vaccinated in January or February. .
Some administration officials saw Israel as sort of a role model for the United States because it started vaccinating its people earlier. Israel has used the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine almost exclusively and has a nationalized health system that allows it to systematically monitor patients.
Israel’s latest data, released on the government website on Monday, shows what some experts describe as continued erosion of Pfizer vaccine effectiveness over time – both against mild and asymptomatic Covid infections – 19 in general and against serious illnesses in the elderly. .
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