Fauci says vulnerable populations may need booster shots

Antoine FauciAnthony FauciDemocrats question GOP change on vaccines GOP Representative Cawthorn says he wants to ‘sue’ Fauci The Hill’s Morning Report – Pelosi plans to add GOP voices to Jan 6 panel MORE said on Sunday that it was likely that vulnerable populations who have already been vaccinated would need COVID-19 boosters.

In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, host Jake tapperJacob (Jake) Paul Tapper Five takeaways from CPAC in Dallas Eric Adams to meet with Biden on tackling gun violence Israel offers third dose of Pfizer to adults with weakened immune systems MORE mentioned a recent study released by Israel’s Ministry of Health last week that estimated Pfizer’s vaccine to have 39% overall effectiveness in preventing infections in a study conducted within the past month.

Tapper noted that the study’s data was preliminary, but cited a CNN report that the Biden administration expected some vulnerable populations in the country to need a third injection.

“What changed?” Tapper asked Fauci.

“Well, I think it’s a dynamic situation. It is a work in progress. It is changing, as in so many other areas of the pandemic, ”Fauci said.

“You have to look at the data. And data from Israel and Pfizer indicates that it looks like there may be some decrease in protection. And when you have that, the most vulnerable people are those you were talking about a moment ago, namely people with weakened immune systems, those who are transplanted, who are undergoing cancer chemotherapy, autoimmune diseases, who are on immunosuppressive regimens, ”Fauci continued.

“These are the kind of individuals who, if there were to be a third push, which could possibly happen, would be among the first vulnerable. And the ACIP, which met on July 22, has discussed it in detail and continues to examine the data that could push us in that direction, ”added Fauci, referring to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which makes recommendations on the use of vaccines to manage disease in the United States

The Israeli report warned that the data could be skewed due to the way vaccinated and unvaccinated people were tested, according to Bloomberg.

“The strongly asymmetric exposure patterns during the recent epidemic in Israel, which are limited to specific population sectors and localities,” Ran Balicer, chairman of Israel’s National Advisory Expert Team, said on the response to COVID-19, in a statement, according to the thread. service.

“We try to complement this research approach with others, taking into account additional personal characteristics. But it takes time and more cases, ”he added.

Pfizer and BioNTech expressed confidence in the safety and protection of their vaccine, according to a statement Pfizer made to Bloomberg on Friday. A spokeswoman for BioNTech told Bloomberg that her company was looking at the data from the study.

The two companies, however, already announced earlier this month that they plan to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a recall of their COVID-19 vaccine, referring to previous data from ‘Israel.