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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has decided that most Americans should have a coronavirus booster vaccine eight months after they’ve had their second vaccine, and may begin offering the third vaccines by mid to late September, according to administration officials familiar with the controversy.
Authorities plan to announce the decision as early as this week. Their goal is to let Americans who receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines know they will need additional protection against the Delta variant, which is causing caseloads to increase in much of the country. The new policy will depend on the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization for additional vaccines.
Officials said they expect recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is authorized as a single dose, will also need an additional dose. However, they are awaiting the results of that company’s two-dose clinical trial, expected later this month.
Initial supporters will likely go to nursing home residents and health workerswas followed by other older people near the front of the line when vaccines began late last year. Authorities envision giving people the same vaccine they originally received.
The decision came as the Biden administration struggled to regain control of a pandemic it claimed to have tamed a little over a month ago. President Biden had announced that the nation was reopening to normal life for the 4th of July holiday, but the wildfire spread of the Delta variant prevented that. COVID patients are again overwhelming hospitals in some states, and federal officials are worried about a jump in children hospitalized for the virus as the school year begins.
Biden administration officials have been analyzing the rising trend in Covid-19 cases for weeks, trying to understand whether the Delta variant can evade vaccines better than previous versions of the virus or whether the vaccines lose their effectiveness. According to some management experts, both could be true and exacerbate an epidemic the nation desperately hopes to be stopped.
Officials are particularly concerned by data from Israel that suggest that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s protection against serious illness has dropped significantly for seniors who get their second vaccination in January or February.
In some ways, Israel can be seen as a kind of template for the United States, as it vaccinates most of its population faster. Unlike the United States, it has used almost exclusively the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and has a nationalized healthcare system that allows it to follow patients systematically.
The latest data from Israel, published on the government’s website on Monday, shows that some experts have described the Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy as a sustained wear over time against both mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 infections in general and severe illness among the elderly. .
Reviewing the published data, vaccine expert Dr. “This shows a fairly steep decline in efficacy and efficacy against infection, but still a bit unclear on protection against serious disease,” said Peter J. Hotez. By Israel at the request of The New York Times.
Understand the Vaccination Status and Mask Instructions in the US
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- Mask rules. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July suggested The fact that all Americans, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in public in areas with outbreaks was a reversal of the guidance it presented in May. See where the CDC guidance applies, and where states created their own mask policies. The battle over masks has become contentious in some states. local leaders defying state bans.
- Vaccination rules. . . and Bbenefits. Private companies corona virus makes vaccinations increasingly mandatory For those who work with different approaches. Such powers legally allowed and upheld in court appeals.
- Colleges and universities. More than 400 colleges and universities require their students to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Nearly all in states that voted for President Biden.
- Schools. on August 11, California has announced that both public and private schools will require their teachers and staff to be vaccinated. or face regular testing, being the first in the country to do so. A survey published in August found that many American parents with school-age children are against compulsory vaccinations for students, but More support for mask missions for unvaccinated students, teachers and staff.
- Hospitals and medical centers. Many hospitals and major healthcare systems require their employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19. By citing increased caseloads fueled by the delta variant and stubbornly low vaccination rates in their communities, even within the workforce.
- new York. On August 3, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that workers and customers would be asked for proof of vaccination. indoor dining, gyms, performances and other indoor situations, making it the first US city to require vaccines for a wide variety of activities. City hospital staff they should also be vaccinated or undergo weekly tests. Similar rules apply to New York State employees.
- at the federal level. The Pentagon has announced that it will try to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for the country. 1.3 million active-duty soldiers No later than mid-September. President Biden announced all civilian federal employees would have to get vaccinated against coronavirus or subject to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most trips.
Food and Drug Administration former chief scientist Dr. Jesse L. Goodman said the Israeli data suggest “worrying trends” that could indicate decreased vaccine efficacy. But he said he would like to see more details from Israel and, more importantly, data showing whether the US is moving in the same direction.
Federal officials said the booster program would likely follow the same scenario as the initial immunization program. The first shots for the general public in the United States were administered on December 14, days after the FDA authorized the Pfizer shot for emergency use. People started receiving the Moderna vaccine a week later.
While frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents were among the first to be vaccinated nationwide, states followed their own plans for who else was eligible to be vaccinated during the first weeks and months of the vaccination campaign.
But almost everyone aged 65 and over is eligible to be vaccinated by the end of February, as are many police officers, teachers, grocery workers, and others at risk of exposure to the virus in the workplace.
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