Fauci says three Covid-19 vaccine doses likely needed
FDA will ultimately decide if Americans will get a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine
Dr Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, has admitted that people may need three doses of mRNA vaccines for full protection against the coronavirus.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases made the claim during a recent briefing.
You're going to have very likely a three-dose regimen being the routine regimen, Dr Fauci said.
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However, FDA will ultimately decide if Americans will get a third dose.
Moderna and Pfizer have both applied for FDA authorization for a third dose of their vaccines. Depending on the FDA's decision, booster doses could begin as early as the week of 20 September.
As infections from the Delta variant rise, the Biden administration is concerned that Covid infections among people who are fully vaccinated are a sign that vaccine protection is waning. It has pushed boosters as a way to rebuild immunity.
Earlier, the New York Times reported that the officials told the White House on Thursday to scale back a plan to offer the booster shots to the general public later this month.
"We are awaiting a full review and approval by the FDA" and advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), White House spokesman Chris Meagher said.
"When that approval and recommendation are made, we will be ready to implement the plan our nation's top doctors developed so that we are staying ahead of this virus."
President Joe Biden had expected to launch a campaign to administer 100 million booster shots on September 20. But US vaccine makers other than Pfizer have lagged in seeking authorization of an additional dose.
Dr Anthony Fauci told MSNBC in an interview on Friday that it did not appear the information needed for Moderna would be available in time for a 20 September rollout.
"It may be a delay for a few weeks. We don't know," Fauci said.
Johnson & Johnson has not yet asked regulators to approve a booster for its one-dose shot, and last week said it was in discussions with the FDA on the subject.
A panel of experts that advises the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on vaccines plans to meet on September 17 to discuss additional doses of Pfizer's shot.
