American coronavirus: there is no doubt about the effectiveness of the vaccines, according to an expert, as the FDA assesses a possible recall



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It is widely accepted that vaccines are primarily intended to reduce hospitalizations and deaths – which data shows to work well, said CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen.

“What not everyone would agree on is the second thing, which I believe, that the aim of vaccination is to reduce the level of infection as well,” Wen said.

This is the question currently being debated by officials and health experts, just as the average of new daily cases has increased over the past two months.

President Joe Biden and many experts say there is good reason for a third booster dose. And three reports released on Wednesday support the argument that people may need a booster dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine over time, and suggest such boosters would be safe.

The reports are part of a batch of data that will be discussed by FDA vaccine advisers as they review a request from Pfizer to approve a third booster dose for most people six months after receiving their two. first doses of vaccine.

But there is no unanimity at the moment. On Monday, a group of international vaccine experts, including some from the FDA and the World Health Organization, wrote in the Lancet that current evidence does not appear to support the need for booster vaccines among the general public by this moment.

There are also fears that the focus on boosters may distract from the mission of getting a greater proportion of the public to receive their initial doses.

Only about 54% of the US population is fully vaccinated, which experts say is the best form of protection against the virus.

There is not yet a clear answer as to whether the vaccine boosters are needed, Dr Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health said on Wednesday, but there is “a mountain” of data for them to consider. experts before making a decision.

Friday’s discussion will be public, he added, so people can see the data that goes into the decision.

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Local health departments plan to be ready to roll out booster doses next week if they get the green light from the FDA, but many still have questions, National chief executive Lori Tremmel Freeman told CNN. Association of County and City Health Officials. Wednesday.

“What is the interval for the reminders?” Is it less than eight months at this point? What is the age limit? Will there be priority groups? Freeman said. “We don’t want to be caught off guard. We don’t want to appear uncoordinated on boosters.”

A nurse fills a syringe with a dose of Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on the campus of Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa. On September 14, 2021.

Numb with tragedy

As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc – Covid-19 has killed more than 666,000 people and infected 41.5 million people in the United States since January 2020 – the public becomes unmoved by the tragedy, former commissioner said of the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb. said Wednesday.

“We are somewhat complacent about a very excessive amount of death and illness,” he said during an appearance at the SALT hedge fund conference in Manhattan.

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The United States marked another dark milestone on Wednesday: 1 in 500 Americans died from Covid-19.

It’s a number that can be difficult to deal with, Wen said.

“Imagine if 1 in 500 Americans had died in a war because of a foreign adversary in the past year and a half. How would we handle this information now? What would we do differently? ” she asked. “Wouldn’t we do all we can to end the war, end the suffering and the deaths?”

“For us not to do all we can with the vaccines and the masks in the meantime, it’s really unreasonable.”

The growing number of cases among young people is also worrying experts. In the first nine months of 2021, Covid-19 infections among children and adolescents in the Americas (including the United States and Canada) have reached over 1.9 million, according to Dr Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization Wednesday.

That’s more than 400,000 more than last year – before Covid-19 vaccines were made available to young people over 12.

In the United States, cases are likely to increase now that schools have reopened in the northeast, Gottlieb said.

“It’s going to build,” Gottlieb said, pointing to outbreaks in schools in other areas affected by the Delta variant. “Schools will also become sources of spread in the northeast. “

However, Gottlieb, who sits on Pfizer’s board of directors, doesn’t expect the Northeast to be hit as hard as the South, mainly due to past infections and high vaccination rates.

Most Americans Support Covid-19 Restrictions

Other strategies officials have promoted to increase protection against viruses are vaccination warrants and mask requirements.

Last week, Biden announced a plan to fight the pandemic, which included requiring companies with more than 100 employees to require their staff to be vaccinated or regularly tested.

Many states and workplaces had already introduced similar measures.

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Los Angeles to expand immunization requirements with the implementation of a new health order that will require vaccine verification for indoor bars, wineries and nightclubs, and recommend the same for restaurants interiors, County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said on Wednesday.

There is support for Covid-19 vaccination requirements, but only in certain settings, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

About 61% of adults say proof of vaccination should be required to travel by plane, 57% say it should be required to attend public colleges or universities, and 56% say it should be required to attend public colleges or universities. sport events.

When it comes to restaurants, Americans are divided, with 50% saying proof should be required for people to eat inside.

For shops and businesses, 54% oppose a compulsory vaccination.

And most Americans believe the public health benefits of restrictions due to Covid-19 are worth the economic and lifestyle costs, according to the report.

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Virginia Langmaid, Jacqueline Howard, Matt Egan and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.

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