New guidelines will call for a third COVID shot for vulnerable people

BIden administration officials should change tactics with a recommendation that immunocompromised people receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, amid pressure from vaccine experts who claim these patients are still vulnerable to the disease .

FAUCI WARNS OF VACCINE HOLLOW VARIANT IF THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 REMAINS HIGH

The administration is on the verge of resolving only one part of the debate over the need for the booster injections, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Food and Drug Administration plans to release updated vaccine clinical guidelines as early as September, allowing a third dose in the relatively small subset of people with weak immune systems.

Federal health officials have also faced public pressure to issue guidelines for the distribution of third doses to people with fully functioning immune systems, a move the World Health Organization condemned this week, citing dismal vaccine supplies in developing countries.

“We will make the decision on the booster shots based on a compilation of evidence, one of which will most likely be immune responses … as well as data from our cohort that is monitoring the safety and efficacy of our drugs. vaccines in many different populations. Said Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Immunocompromised adults were among the first to be prioritized for vaccines earlier this year, given their susceptibility to serious illness and death from COVID-19. But virologists pointed to a series of studies concluding that these patients produced a limited antibody response, leaving them vulnerable even after the full two-dose vaccination schedule.

A report from the New England Journal of Medicine, for example, showed that 101 organ transplant recipients who received a third dose of the vaccine saw their prevalence of anti-coronavirus antibodies increase by 4% after the first dose, 40% after the second dose and 68% after a third dose.

“It is now clear from the observational data that has been made that [immunocompromised people] … With a few exceptions, but in general do not provide an adequate response that we believe would be adequately protected, ”said Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden on Thursday.

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He added that federal health officials are now “working on” guidelines for these people.

“We will make sure this is implemented as quickly as possible because for us and for those involved it is a very high priority,” Fauci said.

Last month, several vaccine experts on a federal panel approved the administration of a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to people with weakened immune systems due to organ transplants, certain cancer treatments. , lupus and other health problems. They reported that among patients who did not have an antibody response to the first two injections, 33 to 50% developed one after receiving the third dose.

The FDA should authorize additional injections before they are distributed. Despite mounting evidence showing that people with the weakest immune systems would benefit from a booster dose, administration officials have dragged their feet to issue guidelines for their administration. There have been reports to the White House of people receiving third doses from their doctors or through more spurious means, such as going to another state or to a pharmacy without a record of the person’s immunization status.

“We are just starting to get data on [people who were able to get a third shot]”Walensky said on Monday.” We are working to encourage people to report on the security side if people have taken the initiative to get their third shot – again, not recommended yet. “

CDC VACCINE EXPERTS ARE ON ADDITIONAL COVID-19 PLANS FOR VULNERABLE PATIENTS

The administration’s shift to revising the booster injection guidelines for a specific sector of the population comes as the highly contagious delta variant may escape the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine . Yet infectious disease experts have attempted to allay these fears by citing ample evidence that vaccines are very effective.

The Biden administration and the vaccine makers have said those vaccinated are protected against serious illnesses, but groundbreaking cases can occur. Although the CDC does not keep track of the total number of confirmed cases, the agency reports that just over 7,500 of the more than 165 million people who have been fully vaccinated have been hospitalized or died from COVID. -19.

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Keywords: Health, News, Coronavirus, Vaccination, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci, CDC, FDA

Original author: Cassidy Morrison

Original location: New guidelines will call for a third COVID shot for vulnerable people