NIH director says new data on Israel sets the stage for US

New Israeli data on the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines over time is leading U.S. health officials to rethink their stance on U.S. vaccine recalls, the director of the National Institutes of Health said on Tuesday. Dr Francis Collins.

“The people who were immunized in January are the ones who now have the most breakthrough cases,” Collins said in an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show, referring to Covid infections in fully vaccinated individuals. Israel on Monday released new data showing a reduction in the effectiveness of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine against serious illness in people 65 and older who were fully vaccinated in January or February.

Collins said the increase in so-called revolutionary cases in Israel is likely due to a combination of the highly contagious delta variant and Covid vaccine protection that wanes over time.

“Most of the time, of course, these are symptoms, but not severe,” he said. “But you’re starting to see a little trend towards some of those who require hospitalization.”

Collins’ comments come as federal health officials are expected to recommend that most people in the United States who are eligible for Covid vaccinations should receive boosters eight months after their second dose.

The federal guidelines, which would only apply to two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, could go into effect as early as mid-September, according to NBC News, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the discussions.

The New York Times reported on Monday that federal health officials are particularly concerned about data from Israel, where Covid vaccinations began before many other countries. The data reportedly showed that for people vaccinated in January aged 65 and over, the Pfizer vaccine was less than 55% effective against serious illness and hospitalization.

Collins said on Tuesday federal officials were starting to see the same in US data.

“Although right now it’s still like our vaccine protection is working really well,” he said. “But we don’t want to wait until it’s like oh, too late. That’s why we’re looking at the data.”

So far, federal authorities have not recommended booster doses to the general public. On Friday, they approved the administration of Covid booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to Americans with weakened immune systems, which includes cancer and HIV patients and people who have had organ transplants.

Covid vaccine makers, including Pfizer and Moderna, have repeatedly claimed that everyone will ultimately need a booster and potentially additional doses each year, just like with seasonal flu.

The NIH, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a joint statement Tuesday saying they have a “rigorous process” to determine when recalls would be needed.

“This process takes into account lab data, clinical trial data, and cohort data – which may include data from specific drug companies, but is not based exclusively on that data,” the agencies said. “We are continuing to review all new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed.”

On Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech said they submitted early-stage clinical trial data to the FDA as part of their US request for clearance of a Covid vaccine booster for anyone 16 years of age and older . The companies said they would seek approval for a booster dose via a supplement at their request once the agency grants full approval for the vaccine.

If the booster shots are approved, the United States would likely vaccinate nursing homes, health care providers and the elderly first, Collins said Tuesday. He said “ideally” that people should stick to the same manufacturer from which they received their first two doses.

“But if for some reason you don’t have access to it, well, get the other one,” he said. “Again, I would feel more comfortable as a scientist fixing our plans on real data, and that means sticking to the same type of vaccine that you started with.”