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Full approval of vaccines that protect against COVID-19 may not be far off, Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that although the Food and Drug Administration only conducts its own review process, he “hopes” that full approval will come by the end of the year. month.
“No one wants to get ahead of the FDA because it’s an independent group that makes their own decisions,” Fauci said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press”. “But I hope, I don’t predict, but I hope it’s in the next few weeks. I hope it’s August. “
The vaccines have received emergency use authorizations. Full approval could spur new vaccine mandates in private companies, a move public health officials praise. Fauci warned that if COVID is not controlled, another variant could emerge that would be even more problematic than the delta variant which is currently crossing the country. A fully approved vaccine would lead to “empowering local businesses” to institute vaccination mandates, he predicted.
In recent weeks, a growing number of businesses and private institutions have started to mandate vaccines as a condition of employment or enrollment in educational programs.
Dr Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health, told ABC News’s “This Week” that he approves of “companies deciding that they are going to force (vaccines) on their employees,” adding that “we have to use every public health tool we can use when people are dying.”
– Matthieu Brun
Also in the news:
► Across the country, more than 44,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID, up 30% from last week. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day average of deaths was nearly 500 a day on Friday, up from around 270 two weeks ago.
► Florida broke its daily record for newly reported coronavirus infections on Saturday, with 23,903. That’s the most for any state, according to CDC data. Florida hospitals are filled with more COVID patients than ever before: 13,750, the US Department of Health and Human Services reported.
► Saudi Arabia says it is giving half a million riyals – $ 133,000 – to the family of every medical worker who has died fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the kingdom.
►Israelis are rushing to get a third vaccine as protection against the delta variant of the coronavirus. More than 420,000 Israelis over the age of 60 have received a recall, more than a third of the total targeted population. Israel is experiencing a growing number of hospitalizations.
► The Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, are evaluating the potential use of booster doses to protect immunocompromised people.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has recorded more than 35.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 616,700 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: Over 202.4 million cases and 4.2 million deaths. More than 166.2 million Americans – 50.1% of the population – have been fully immunized, according to the CDC.
📘 What we read: Will COVID vaccine booster shots be needed? It’s likely, experts say, but the immunocompromised should be given priority. Read the full story.
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New daily infections reach 100,000
The new daily average of COVID-19 infections in the United States rose to around 100,000 on Saturday, according to CDC data. After the virus began to spread in the United States, it took until November 2020 to reach 100,000 new cases per day, and the country peaked at around 250,000 new cases per day in January 2021 before vaccines were released. become widespread and the cases do not begin to decrease.
Now, the delta variant, which spreads more easily than the original strains of the virus found in the United States, accounts for about 80% of new cases. Experts urge unvaccinated people to get vaccinated in order to reduce the growing number of cases.
“Our models show that if we don’t (vaccinate people) we could be up to several hundred thousand cases per day, similar to our increase in early January,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky told CNN. .
Anger at the unvaccinated won’t help, experts say
Unvaccinated Americans quickly fall ill with the highly contagious delta variant. And they often get extremely sick: More than 97% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in mid-July were unvaccinated, said Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a tragically predictable outcome, leading some politicians and experts to vent their frustrations on the unvaccinated. But slurs, anger, and contempt are widely seen as a terrible way to get people to get vaccinated.
“If you want to call me an idiot… that’s no encouragement,” Stephanie McClure, assistant professor of biocultural medical anthropology at the University of Alabama, told USA TODAY. . “
– Joel shannon
Canada to allow vaccinated Americans to enter from Monday
Canadian businesses near the border have spent weeks preparing for Monday, when Canada begins allowing fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents to cross the border. But the expected rise in travel comes as businesses across North America face staff shortages and supply chain issues. That could mean travelers to Canada will have a harder time getting some reservations or face longer wait times, some business owners say.
“People are just taken left, right and center. I’ve never seen anything like it, ”said Anna Pierce, vice president and general manager of Niagara Helicopters in Ontario.
– Bailey schulz
Joe Biden continues to freeze student loan payments in COVID era
President Joe Biden’s administration has said it will extend the hiatus on federal student loan payments one last time, until Jan. 31, for a total reprieve of nearly two years for borrowers.
“This latest extension will give students and borrowers the time they need to plan for the restart and ensure a smooth return to repayment,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement on Friday.
Since the pandemic first struck, millions of student loan borrowers have been spared having to pay into their accounts. The payment freeze was scheduled to expire on September 30. It also included a 0% interest rate on loans, and the government had ordered lending departments to stop collection attempts.
– Chris Quintana and Lindsay Schnell
Judge rejects plea for freedom of unvaccinated convict against Capitol riots
Washington state man who pleaded guilty on Friday to assaulting an officer during the Capitol riots has been jailed pending sentencing despite defense arguments that the unvaccinated man risked resurgence of the coronavirus. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth has ordered the detention of Devlyn Thompson, who struck an officer with a baton, saying the potential risk of coronavirus did not constitute “an exceptional circumstance” for his release. Lawyer Thomas Durkin said Thompson, who is also autistic, was not vaccinated due to “concerns about serious allergic reactions” linked to an ingredient in the vaccines.
Thompson had been at large since his indictment last month, and prosecutors admitted he had cooperated with the investigation. But the government maintained that the violent nature of his sentence demanded that he be jailed pending his conviction next month.
-Kevin Johnson
Contribution: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vaccines May Get Full FDA Approval Soon, Fauci Says: COVID-19 News
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