US coronavirus: America could enter spring of 2022 with Covid under control if
“We hope we’ll be there … but there’s no guarantee because it’s up to us,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the President’s chief medical adviser, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday.
It isn’t yet clear to health experts exactly what proportion of the population needs to be vaccinated to reach a level of protection that could sustain a return to normalcy, like safely attending restaurants and theaters, Fauci said. So, the best way forward is to vaccinate as many people as possible, he said.
On Monday the US Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people 16 and older.
But some experts are skeptical that vaccination rates will go up just because of the approval.
“I do think there will be a modest increase, but, look, we have a long way to go to fill this gap,” vaccinologist and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Peter Hotez said. “I think having the full approval will certainly convince some, but it’s just one of a dozen fake talking points put out there by the disinformation campaign. And, I think a number of people are just going to revert to one of the other ones.”
Several false claims about Covid-19 vaccines have posed a challenge to vaccinating greater numbers of Americans, Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said Monday. Some of those include false claims about infertility, microchips and fatalities.
“Let me be clear: These claims are simply not true. Getting a Covid-19 vaccine can save your life,” Marks said.
The thing that may really motivate people to get those life-saving vaccines, Hotez said, is if the authorization paves the way for employers, businesses and schools to mandate vaccinations.
Governors and schools mandating vaccines
Already, some government bodies and schools are calling for mandatory vaccinations.
“This morning’s announcement that the federal Food and Drug Administration has fully approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccination eliminates any doubt in the science and efficacy of COVID vaccines,” Cuomo said.
The state already requires all eligible government and healthcare employees to be vaccinated.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also announced a vaccine mandate Monday. All state employees, which includes pre-k through 12 schools and public universities, are required to be fully vaccinated by October 18 or be subject to regular testing, Murphy said.
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