Fauci hopes Covid vaccines will gain full FDA approval within weeks

Top US government infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday he hoped the Food and Drug Administration would fully approve the coronavirus vaccine by the end of the month and predicted that the potential move would stimulate a wave of immunization mandates in the private sector. sector as well as schools and universities.

The FDA has only granted emergency use approval for Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but the agency is expected to give Pfizer full approval soon.

The Biden administration has said the federal government will not force vaccinations beyond the federal workforce, but is increasingly urging state and local governments as well as businesses to consider such warrants. Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said “local-level warrants must be carried out” to help curb the spread of the virus.

“I hope – I am not predicting – I hope it will be in the next few weeks. I hope it will be in August,” Fauci said of the vaccine’s approval by the FDA. “If so, you’re going to see empowering local businesses, giving mandates that could be colleges, universities, places of business, a whole variety and I strongly support that. The time is right. … We ‘I have to go one step further to get people vaccinated. ”

Fauci’s comments come as the Biden administration assesses the levers it can pull to encourage more unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated as the delta variant continues to sweep through much of the United States.

Biden recently approved rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing, mask warrants and travel restrictions. Biden is also awaiting a formal recommendation from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the possibility of requiring U.S. troops to be vaccinated.

The administration has become more vocal in its support for vaccine mandates at a time when leading companies have informed their employees that coronavirus vaccination requirements are underway, and some localities have adopted or are considering requirements. in terms of vaccines for dinner indoors.

United Airlines has informed its employees that they will need to be fully vaccinated by October 25 or five weeks after the FDA grants full approval to one of the vaccines – whichever date comes first.

Disney and Walmart have announced vaccination warrants for white-collar workers, and Microsoft, Google and Facebook have said they will require proof of vaccination for employees and visitors to their offices in the United States. Tyson Foods also announced that it will require all U.S. employees to be vaccinated by November.

There was also hindsight.

The United States Supreme Court was asked last week to block a plan by Indiana University to force students and employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19. This is the first time the High Court has been asked to rule on a vaccination warrant and comes as some companies, states and cities are also considering or have adopted requirements for vaccines for workers or even for dinner at the inside.

Randi Weingarten, union president of the American Federation of Teachers, said on Sunday that she personally supports an immunization mandate for educators.

“For a matter of personal conscience, I think we need to work with our employers – not oppose vaccination mandates,” said Weingarten, who estimated that around 90% of AFT members are already vaccinated.

Dr Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, nearly approved the vaccination mandates on Sunday, saying: “I am happy when I see companies decide they are going to force this on their employees.”

“Yes, I think we should use all the public health tools we can when people are dying,” Collins said.

Fauci and Weingarten spoke on “Meet the Press” on NBC and Collins appeared on “This Week” on ABC.