Moderna’s booster doses would start later than Pfizer’s in the United States, Fauci said.

The infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci, The leading expert in that region of the United States has announced that the country’s government plan to offer third doses to those who have received COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, announced for September 20, will not begin. before everyone else on the same day, otherwise, in the case of inoculated with the latter, it could be delayed for a few weeks. Instead, Pfizer boosters would be offered as intended.

US prepares to give booster shots to those who received the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines five to eight months ago, although approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still required. The government continues to study the need for a booster dose for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a single injection.

The president’s chief medical adviser, Joe Biden, said if the administration’s plan was to apply booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna at the same time, it might not happen and initiation into the case of the latter is late.

Despite this, he insisted, in statements to CBS, that President Biden’s government plan continues to be “in some ways” start the third doses the week of September 20, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The government expected the Pfizer and Moderna booster doses to be applied from the same date. But Fauci pointed out that it is “conceivable” that, for those who received Moderna, there would be “a delay of a few weeks, a few weeks at most,” he said, as the company provides more data to the FDA on the effectiveness of the booster.

Biden had said on Aug. 18 that the boosters protect against the much more contagious Delta variant of the virus, noting that Americans should consider putting them on eight months after their second dose.

In this sense, Fauci had declared a few days ago that the federal authorities of the United States have already received the information from Pfizer for this third dose, he could therefore be the first to obtain FDA clearance, pending Moderna submitting its data.

“We hope Moderna can also do it to have it simultaneously, but if not, we will do it in order,” said Fauci, who believes “very likely” that at least part of the plan can be ready to go. date indicated, as indicated for the CBS network.

Last Tuesday, Moderna presented the data to the FDA to seek authorization to apply a third dose, just over two weeks after Pfizer. This laboratory had claimed that the booster dose had generated “significantly higher neutralizing antibodies” against the parent virus of COVID-19, in addition to the beta and delta variants.

Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff, said on Sunday that the government had always made it clear that September 20 was a proposed date, and “no one will get any recalls until the FDA says they’re approved. “. Klain told CNN, “We are ready to proceed when science tells us.”

Vaccine maker Pfizer / BioNTech has submitted its information to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and “it looks like things are ready,” Fauci told CNN.

Fauci said Moderna could be delayed a bit, and if so, instead of having a simultaneous launch of the two products, Moderna could take place a week or two later. “I don’t think it’s a big question, but we would have liked to have had them all together, simultaneously. But in the end, the plan will be implemented, as it has been proposed ”, insured.

Fauci said the plan depended, on the one hand, on companies submitting the appropriate data to the FDA, and on the other hand, obtaining FDA approval and then recommending them. vaccine advisers from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Regarding the duration of immunity from vaccines, Fauci clarified: “What we are seeing now, not only here in the United States but in other countries, including Israel and the United Kingdom, is that the durability protection tends to decrease, especially in the context of the Delta variant ”.

This decrease can lead to both infections of vaccinated persons and infections of vaccinated persons which lead to hospitalizations.

“If you look at the evidence from the cohorts here in America, there is no doubt that there is a decrease in the efficacy of the vaccine against infection, that is, symptomatic infection. There is a slight suggestion in a few cohorts that this is also true for decreased protection against hospitalization; it’s not deep, but the suggestion when looking at the data is there ”, noted.

“However, when you look Israeli data, and they are about a month ahead of us on all aspects (vaccinations, reminders, etc.), Israeli studies indicate that there is a decrease in protection against infection and a clear decrease in protection against hospitalization ”added.

Fauci said the good news is that data from Israel shows that booster doses offer “deep” protection against infection and hospitalization.

“It is important to note that their data also shows that when these boosters are given, the protection against infections and hospitalizations is restored to an even higher level than before,” he added. said Fauci. “The boosters really increase the response very, very high, and we would expect that response to be long lasting,” he said.

Los CDC alertaron sobre el aumento en las muertes diarias por coronavirus en el país, estimated in a 131% in el último mes, mientras las autoridades medicas piden a la población extremar las medidas de precaución con motivo del puente festivo por el Día del Trabajo, this week.

According to the latest CDC data, 644,848 people have died from the pandemic in the United States. This same source placed the number of accumulated cases at 39.8 million.

In the case of children, the United States has counted nearly 1,500 hospitalized with COVID-19 until last week, the highest number yet in the pandemic, showing how the Delta variant can affect any age group. This variant is predominant in this country, with 93% of new cases of coronavirus.

According to CDC records, between August 20 and 26, an average of 330 minors were admitted to hospitals each day with COVID-19. And three weeks ago, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH, in English), Dr Francis Collins pointed out that the United States pays “a terrible price”, given the rapid increase in cases, especially among unvaccinated people. .

The Delta variant He is already the main responsible for new hospital admissions in this country, with 89,916 patients until September 2, figures that had not been seen since January 30 when 89,657 people had to be hospitalized.. In some states, such as Georgia, Kentucky, and Hawaii, there is no authorization in intensive care units.

The CDC has also reported an increase in incomes for children and adolescents. Fauci pointed out that there is still no data to determine that this variant occurs more aggressively in minors. So far, only those over 12 can be vaccinated, as there are still no licensed pediatric vaccines.

According to researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Using a computer model, India’s mutation is about 60% more contagious than the original Wuhan coronavirus. You can also escape immunity from a previous infection almost half the time, the same researchers noted. Compared to Delta, Beta and Gamma are less transmissible but better able to evade immunity. Compared to the original virus, the Iota variant is more deadly in the elderly.

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