Gottlieb says vaccines should provide ‘a very big safety net’ against new virus outbreak

Washington – Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday that the growing number of Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should provide a “big enough safety net” against a new wave of coronavirus.

“We have now vaccinated 92 million Americans. That’s about 28% of the public. About 50 million have been fully vaccinated, or 15%,” Gottlieb said on “Face the Nation.” “So I think that’s a good safety net against a real fourth push.”

His comments come as 30 states and the District of Columbia have seen a recent surge in new infections after weeks of decline, worrying public health officials. Gottlieb said the Biden administration should start focusing vaccination efforts on areas of the country with epidemics, noting that places like Massachusetts, Michigan and the states that make up the tri-state region have all seen an increase. cases.

“I think the Biden administration can allocate allowances to parts of the country that look hot right now,” Gottlieb said. “But if we could just get two or three weeks of more than about 3 million vaccines a day, that will be a very big safety net.”

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27.6% of Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 15% of the population has been fully vaccinated. In total, more than 140 million vaccines have been administered.

To his first press conference Last week, President Biden doubled his original goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office. Having reached that milestone in just 58 days, the president has pledged to administer 200 million vaccines before his 100th day in office on April 30.

“Today, I set myself a second goal, and that is: we will, by my 100th day in office, administer 200 million shots in people’s arms,” ​​Biden said Thursday.

Gottlieb said the administration needed to route vaccine doses to community sites that have patient relationships, such as doctor’s offices and pharmacies, to reach those who would otherwise be hesitant to seek a vaccine.

“We should look at every interaction that patients have with the medical system and try to offer vaccination at those points of care through a provider that patients know,” said Gottlieb. “This is ultimately how we’re going to get some people who are more reluctant to get vaccinated to get vaccinated.”