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With Covid-19 cases rising and the Delta variant gaining increased prevalence in the United States, health experts are reiterating that vaccines are effective in the ways that matter most: preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death.
Speaking to CNNs Jim Acosta on Saturday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the vaccines are shown to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic, clinically apparent disease.
When you start seeing whats called breakthrough infections, if you look carefully at them, the overwhelming majority of those are people who either have no symptoms or only very mild symptoms, Fauci said. So the vaccines are still very, very effective in preventing severe disease.
The Delta variant has pretty much taken over in the US, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital in Philadelphia and a member of the US Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory committee. But its clear the vaccines work against the Delta variant, too, he said.
Despite the rise of the Delta variant, still 97% of people who are hospitalized or killed by this virus are unvaccinated, Offit said. If the Delta variant were escaping, essentially, immunity induced by vaccination, then you should have seen a rise in people who are vaccinated, but nonetheless were still hospitalized and killed. And that hasnt happened.
Yet the pace of inoculations is slowing, with less than half of the US population 48.5%, per the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fully vaccinated. And its the communities with lower vaccination rates that are at risk.
Among those states that have fully vaccinated less than half of their residents, the average Covid-19 case rate was 11 new cases per 100,000 people last week, compared to 4 per 100,000 among states that have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
If you are unvaccinated, the risk is incredibly high and maybe in some areas higher than its ever been, said Dr. Craig Spencer, director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, adding people are acting a little more carefree and lackadaisical, raising the chance of exposure.
Indeed, the number of people traveling by air set a pandemic-era record Friday, with nearly 2.2 million people screened at US airports, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration said, adding an admonition: #MaskUp.
In the meantime, vaccinated people should continue to be smart, but are very unlikely to get sick, be hospitalized or die of Covid-19, Spencer said.
Canada and the US were neck and neck early Saturday afternoon in the percentage of fully vaccinated people, according to data from the countries governments. So far, 18,286,671 Canadians, or 48.65%, have been fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, compared with 160,994,035, or 48.5%, of Americans, according to the CDC data.
In the US, officials are increasingly focused on increasing vaccination rates among younger people.
Young people sometimes feel that theyre invulnerable. They need a little, I would say a gentle push not forcing or threatening, but to get them to understand why its important for their own safety, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN on Saturday. Because as were getting more and more infections with the Delta variant were seeing more and more young people who are getting seriously ill.
To that end, Fauci teamed up with 18-year-old pop star Olivia Rodrigo this week, appearing in a video released by the White House that encourages young people to get vaccinated.
The sooner all of us get vaccinated, the sooner we can, like, hang out with our friends and sing songs and all of the fun things, Rodrigo said.
Alabama health officials Friday announced a TikTok contest aimed at increasing Covid-19 vaccination rates among people between the ages of 13 and 29. Contestants are asked to submit a video that shows them getting vaccinated and a message that shares why they chose to do so. Four winners will be chosen to receive a $250 Visa gift card, officials said.
Darrell Hudson, principal of A.H. Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, told CNN school officials dont know how many of their students are vaccinated, and some are still a little concerned about taking the vaccine and whats in the vaccine. But he said hes hopeful students will get the shot, along with their families, so they can safely return to the classroom August 2.
We dont want any child coming to our campus, taking the virus back home to parents, to grandparents, to aunties and to their relatives, Hudson said.
As for vaccines for even younger children, studies continue, Fauci told CNN.
Thus far, things look good, but the final decision is going to be up to the FDA, Fauci said. And I would imagine that likely will not happen until we get well into the winter, towards the end of this year.
Additionally, Fauci said he would be astounded if the Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer/BioNTech didnt receive full FDA approval for people 16 and older by the end of August (each vaccine available in the US has been authorized for emergency use, but they have yet to be fully approved). The companies announced Friday the FDA had granted priority review designation to their application for approval for their vaccine.
But even between now and then, people should realize that the data of the efficacy and real-world effectiveness of these vaccines is really extraordinary not only in the United States, but in multiple countries throughout the world, Fauci said.
Local officials continue to sound the alarm about the increase in cases, particularly among those unvaccinated. Twenty states have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents, according to the CDC, but health care facility resources are being stretched in states with fewer vaccinations.
Only a fourth of residents in Mobile County, Alabama, are fully vaccinated, Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said at a news conference Friday. And now the county is seeing a massive increase in hospitalizations, according to Dr. Laura Cepeda, chief medical officer of the Mobile County Health Department, who said theres been a 400% increase in hospitalizations in the past month.
Mayor Sandy Stimpson encouraged those who have gotten the shots to talk with their loved ones and neighbors.
Today, we have sports heroes, we have rock stars, we have movie stars, coaches encouraging people all across this country to get vaccinated, Stimpson said. But if youve been vaccinated, dont underestimate your ability to reach out to someone and encourage them to do it. You may be that person to convince them that this is the right thing to do.
Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader/Imagn
People line up for the vaccine at Mother's Brewing Company in Springfield, Missouri, on June 22, 2021.
Katie Towns, acting director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department in Missouri, told CNN Friday the department is requesting an alternative care site and staff from the state to address the growing number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, saying, Its at a level that weve not seen before,
Most striking is the demographic and age, she said of Covid-19 patients, almost all of whom are unvaccinated. The illness has really shifted from being an older population to being ages 20, 30, 40 years old in the hospital and needing ICU care and oxygen.
And hospitals and health officials are projecting an increase in numbers following the Fourth of July holiday.
I dont think weve seen the worst of it, Towns said.
But even in areas with higher rates of vaccination, officials are beginning to reinstitute safety protocols such as mask mandates to try to curb the spread.
Health authorities in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday announced they are recommending everyone wear masks indoors.
And Los Angeles County will reinstate its indoor mask mandate Saturday night for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The countys public health department reported 1,827 new cases Saturday, a fourfold increase in the number of cases reported on July 4.
George Metsos, owner of Patys Restaurant in Los Angeles, told CNN the mask mandates have been confusing, and the changing guidance doesnt help.
They say follow the science. Well, they said dont wear masks if youre vaccinated. Now put the mask on if youre vaccinated, Metsos said. I need to protect my customers, I need to protect my employees and I have to follow the rules, but Im very in touch with the American public: Theyre very frustrated.
Amid growing concern, local authorities do have the discretion of going that extra mile or going the extra step it takes to make sure that the spread of this virus is really contained, Fauci told NBCs Nightly News with Lester Holt. And they do that by saying that everyone should wear a mask.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included incorrect information about the number and percentage of Canadians fully vaccinated for Covid-19.
CNNs Lauren Mascarenhas, Jen Christensen, Jacqueline Howard, Laine Mackey, Deidre McPhillips, Leyla Santiago and Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki sidestepped a question Wednesday regarding whether the Biden administration would have publicly disclosed a vaccinated staffers recent breakthrough COVID-19 case if it hadnt been reported in the press.
Psaki confirmed Tuesday there have been multiple breakthrough positive COVID-19 test results among vaccinated staffers, shortly after news outlet Axios reported that an unnamed White House official and a staffer for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had tested positive following an event last week.
When asked during a press gaggle Wednesday if the White House would have disclosed the case regardless of Axios report, Psaki did not directly respond. She said the White House will disclose cases involving individuals who were in close contact with top officials going forward.
"Because of our commitment to transparency, what were going to be providing moving forward are updates on any White House official who tests positive for COVID-19 that the White House medical unit deems as having close contact with the president, vice president, first lady, or second gentleman," Psaki said. "That will be up to the White House medical unit based on the criteria of the CDC."
VACCINATED PELOSI AND WHITE HOUSE STAFFER TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
"At no point has the president been required to change his behavior or self-quarantine due to close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID," she added.
White House staffers were informed of the new policy by email earlier in the day. Relevant details regarding positive cases will be disclosed to the press, as will the name of the infected individual if they allow it.
The White Houses COVID-19 protocols drew renewed scrutiny this week after it was revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative after meeting with several Texas House Democratic lawmakers who recently contracted the virus. Harris office said she was not in close contact with the infected lawmakers and did not have to self-isolate.
Psaki noted that with approximately 2,000 individuals on the White House grounds each day, breakthrough cases among vaccinated staffers "will occur, just like they occur across the country."
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"They have occurred, they will continue to occur. Were prepared for that," Psaki said. "As the instance yesterday shows, cases in vaccinated individuals are typically mild or asymptomatic. This is one more reminder of the efficacy of the covid-19 vaccines against severe illness or hospitalization."
The press secretary said the White House would continue to follow the CDCs public health guidance to inform its own COVID-19 protocols.
It's an unfortunate myth, propelled by extensively circulated misinformation, that has been "extremely difficult to combat," said state immunization manager Molly Howell. A recent National Public Radio report tracked the false narrative from its birth on social media to its distribution through fake and misleading news stories.
Many young women, including college students and nurses, mention concerns about fertility when refusing the jab, Howell said. Multiple nursing home administrators at facilities with low employee vaccination rates noted to Forum News Service last month that female workers in their "childbearing years" didn't trust the shot because of possible fertility issues.
The fertility fable is so widespread that officials with the North Dakota Department of Health decided to hold a virtual town hall discussion on the subject Wednesday, July 21, with doctors who specialize in reproductive health.
The three-doctor panel agreed with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: There is no evidence the COVID-19 vaccine causes fertility issues in men or women, and nearly all unvaccinated young adults should seek the shot.
Dr. Christina Broadwell, a reproductive endocrinology specialist at Sanford Health in Fargo, said she understands some residents are nervous about getting the shot, but they shouldn't fear fertility issues. Broadwell said it's hard to digest all of the information and anecdotes about the vaccine, so those who are unsure about vaccination should consult with their medical providers to get the facts.
The doctors also recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated. Dr. Ana Tobiasz, who practices maternal-fetal medicine at Sanford Health in Bismarck, said pregnant women weren't included in vaccine trials, but data from animal testing and a CDC registry of vaccinated pregnant women give her confidence the shot doesn't increase the likelihood of pregnancy complications or miscarriage. She noted none of her patients have experienced pregnancy complications after taking the vaccine.
Dr. Stephanie Foughty, a family physician with Altru Health System in Devils Lake, speaks during a virtual town hall discussion about the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, May 7, 2021. Screenshot via North Dakota Department of Health
Dr. Stephanie Foughty, a family medicine physician at Altru Health System in Devils Lake, added that women who are breastfeeding should get the vaccine like anyone else, and there's no evidence their babies will have adverse health effects.
Efforts to boost North Dakota's vaccination rate hit a wall earlier this year as skepticism toward the vaccine took hold in communities across the state. About 47% of eligible North Dakotans are fully immunized against COVID-19 far behind the national rate of 57%, according to the CDC.
Health Department is providing the Moderna vaccine to Thursdays concert attendees
by: Pitt County Office of Public Information
(Pitt County) The Pitt County Health Department is partnering with the radio stations of Inner Banks Media to provide a free Moderna COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic for eligible community members. This clinic will be held on Thursday, July 22, 2021, from 6:00 pm 8:30 pm at the Greenville Town Commons, during the Concert on the Common event, featuring the On the Border-Ultimate Eagles Tribute Band.
Appointments are not required. Individuals, who would like to be vaccinated at this event, should walk up to the Pitt County Health Departments booth, located among vendors. Loose clothing should be worn to allow easy access to the upper arm. Individuals should be prepared to stay onsite (at the Health Departments booth) for at least 15-30 minutes after receiving the vaccine to allow for monitoring.Pitt County Health Department is working diligently to make the COVID-19 vaccine easily accessible to anyone who desires to be vaccinated. Our staff members are attending various community events to get the vaccine in as many arms as possible to help them safely return to participating in normal activities, said Dr. John Silvernail, Pitt County Health Director.Moderna is a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine given 28 days apart and is approved for individuals who are age 18 years or older. The Concert on the Common clinic is being offered to eligible individuals, who need either a first dose or second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Individuals, who are seeking a second dose, must bring their official COVID-19 vaccination card or other valid proof of vaccination to the clinic.
Other organizations that would like to host a community vaccine clinic can make a request by clicking here and completing/submitting an online request form.
Jul 20th 2021
PERHAPS THE best litmus test of the post-pandemic world will be how much international travel returns. In 2020 international tourism arrivals fell by 74% compared with 2019, to just 380mby contrast the fall was just 4% during the financial crisis. In recent months international travel has begun to recover. With 3.7bn vaccine doses administered around the world, many people are raring to pack their bags for a foreign trip. But not every vaccine-acquired antibody automatically allows you freely to jet off overseas.
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Many governments are welcoming only recipients of certain covid-19 vaccines as visitors. This month the European Union said it would not admit visitors who were jabbed with the Covishield vaccineeven though it is identical to the AstraZeneca vaccine which is used in the EUbecause it has not been approved by the EUs medicines regulator. The government of India, where the vaccine is manufactured, threatened to retaliate. The policy may also affect Covishield recipients elsewhere in the world: 5m doses have been delivered in Britain.
Data from VisaGuide.World, a travel website, demonstrate just how variable the patchwork of vaccine recognition is. The AstraZeneca vaccine is the most widely accepted, with 119 governments recognising itit is the most used vaccine and it is also approved by the World Health Organisation (along with Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and two Chinese vaccines). By contrast, China's CanSinoBio is recognised by just a handful of governments (see right-hand chart).
The problem does not stop with travel. Although America is not requiring proof of vaccination for travel across its borders (they remain shut, however, to Brits, Europeans, Chinese and Indians, among other nationalities), Canadians who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine are worried they will be barred from entertainment venues that require FDA-approved vaccines for entry. America has ordered 300m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine but has yet to approve it.
The travel industry is concerned that such restrictions will keep people at home. Nick Carreen of the International Air Transport Association, a trade group, says that the lack of agreement among governments is one more hurdle to giving passengers confidence they can travel. Mariangela Simao, an assistant director general at the WHO, says the European Parliament has recommended that countries consider accepting vaccines that have been emergency-listed by the WHO.
Over a dozen EU countries have since said they will ignore the EU rules and accept the Covishield vaccine as proof of immunity. But they are unlikely to be so easy on the Chinese vaccines. Although the Chinese ones have been given an emergency authorisation by WHO, there are gaps in the trial data for these jabs that are likely to worry some countries. Twelve million Chinese tourists visited the EU in 2019.
But a thumbs up from the WHO is better than nothing. In the coming year it is likely that a number of vaccines will struggle to gain international recognition. For political reasons some countries have waved through home-grown, or -produced, vaccines through regulators. Others may not have stringent enough regulatory authorities to inspire confidence in medicines. Vaccines that are currently unlikely to get an easy ride from international authorities include Russia's Sputnik V, Indias Covaxin and Cubas Abdala vaccine.
To make matters worse, a number of American states have enacted laws banning vaccine passports. These include Alabama, Arizona, Indiana and Florida. On July 13th, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings sued the state of Florida over its laws preventing businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination. As it stands, cruise ships will have trouble operating unless they can be certain that passengers are jabbed. For travellers and the tourist industry alike, 2021 is likely to be remembered for the continued covid-19 frustrations and border bureaucracy. The globetrotting and holiday snaps will have to wait until next year.
Lehigh Valley Health Network announced it is participating in research to determine the need for a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
LVHN is part of Pfizers clinical trial to see if a third vaccine shot will be necessary, as variants of the virus continue to spread.
The health network previously participated in clinical trials for the initial Pfizer vaccine, and participation in the booster trial is limited to those who received the COVID-19 vaccine in the first trial.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health are all involved in research to see if a booster is necessary.
LVHN is hosting a COVID-19 town hall on Facebook Live at noon Thursday, featuring a panel of LVHN doctors. You can watch the session here.
Network officials stress that people should get the initial vaccines; vaccines are approved for people ages 12 and older.
Right now, 99% of COVID cases are occurring in those that are unvaccinated, said Joseph Yozviak, DO, LVHN principal investigator for the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. The most important thing you can do right now is make sure you are fully vaccinated with both doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The number of COVID-19 patients in LVHN hospitals is slowly beginning to rise because of complacency among unvaccinated people, officials said. Hospitalized COVID patients are primarily unvaccinated.
Each person who is fully vaccinated is one less person who might get sick and end up in the hospital, said Dr. Alex Benjamin, LVHN chief infection control and prevention officer. The emergence of the more contagious delta variant in the U.S., including here in Pennsylvania, is also a concern and another reason to get immunized.
To find a vaccine walk-in clinic location or to set up an appointment at a vaccine clinic, visit LVHN.org/vaccines, access your MyLVHN account, or call the LVHN Vaccine Hotline at 833-584-6283.
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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
Joint Government Operations Committee Chairmen Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) and John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) made an announcement Wednesday in the Rule Review Committee concerning the Department of Health. The announcement is pursuant to the Joint Committees action at its June 16 meeting to invite the Department to return to the next committee meeting on July 21 to address further questions and concerns regarding the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to minors without parental consent.
In the remarks read by Chairman Kerry Roberts he reiterated the main two concerns of some committee members were that the COVID-19 vaccine was being marketed to minors and administered without parental consent.
We have not discouraged Tennesseans from being vaccinated nor have we discouraged Tennesseans from having their children vaccinated, Chairman Roberts said. Further, it has been widely misrepresented that all childrens vaccines have come to a halt. To be absolutely clear, Tennessees efforts on childhood vaccinations are unchanged. The only exception is administering a COVID-19 vaccination without parental consent.
He said, "Interpreting the concerns of marketing COVID-19 vaccines to children without parental consent as being an anti-vaccine stance is intellectually dishonest and wrong.
To be clear, the Tennessee Department of Health was not asked to stop vaccinating children nor have they stopped vaccinating children for COVID-19 or any other disease. Rather, they were asked to stop vaccinating children for COVID-19 without parental consent and stop marketing to minors.
After the committee meeting on June 16, Chairman Roberts and Chairman Ragan met with Commissioner Piercey and a member of the Governors staff.
Chairman Roberts said, During that meeting, Dr. Piercey and the governors office confirmed that it is not the policy of Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Department of Education, or our 89 county health departments to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to children without parental consent. She further detailed the steps taken to stop any marketing directed at minors.
Mathematical models have helped the U.S. optimize COVID-19 vaccine allocation and delivery to boost vaccination rates. But these models have not overcome the existing health disparities that stem from unequal access to health care, discrimination, and gaps in education, income and wealth attainment.
Ensuring that economically and socially vulnerable populations have access to vaccines, no matter where they live, is a central idea behind vaccine fairness.
Theres a missing step between the mathematics and the reality, says Michael Ferris, John P. Morgridge Professor of Computer Sciences at the UWMadison School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences. You can solve problems with mathematics up to the last mile, but at that point behavior, communication and socioeconomic issues become critical.
Michael Ferris
Corey Jackson
Ferris and Corey Jackson, assistant professor at the UWMadison Information School in CDIS, are developing a vaccine fairness recommendation engine that will support equitable decision making about vaccination. Their work will inform the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and community groups efforts to address vaccine access and hesitancy, with the ultimate goal of increasing immunization rates.
Jackson researches the growing field of citizen science, where amateur volunteers collect data for scientific research. He studies how people learn how to use online citizen-science tools and what motivates them to contribute to research. This linking of technology and human behavior has helped guide his thinking about fair access to vaccines.
Access is not just being within five miles of a vaccination site, says Jackson. It also means, do you have the ability to take off work to go and get the vaccine? Does the location thats closest to you actually have appointments available? If you speak Spanish at home, is the app for making appointments translatable?
In some rural Wisconsin counties, vaccine access is limited by the fact that there may be few hospitals, clinics and pharmacies equipped for vaccination.
Another challenge with modeling vaccine fairness is that people dont necessarily get vaccinated in their own communities. In Wisconsin, this was particularly true prior to mid-April when the COVID-19 vaccine supply was constrained. While allocation models were designed to fairly distribute vaccine to vulnerable communities, affluent people were sometimes traveling long distances to get vaccinated in those places.
The teams work will inform government and community groups efforts to address vaccine access and hesitancy, with the ultimate goal of increasing immunization rates.
Jackson was researching social and technological barriers to peoples participation in COVID-19 contact-tracing efforts when he arrived at UWMadison during the early months of the pandemic. He connected with Ferris through the American Family Insurance Data Science Institutes COVID-19 Research Group, which was developing models and advising decision-makers on the best use of data about the pandemic.
The modeling efforts of the COVID-19 Research Group caught the attention of the Society for Medical Decision Making through a collaboration with Johns Hopkins University. Jackson recently received financial support for his work from its COVID-19 Modeling Accelerator.
This summer, Jackson and Ferris are looking at challenges people face in getting vaccinated. They are assessing whether or not existing vaccine allocations adhere to standards of fairness by measuring whether geographic areas identified as socially vulnerable by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are receiving fair allocations of vaccines.
They will then catalog interventions across the U.S. aimed at increasing equitable access to vaccines and measure how well these interventions are working in Wisconsin. Mobile vaccine units are one such intervention. In Milwaukee, the city teamed up with the Wisconsin National Guard to create mobile units that aim to address racial disparities in vaccination.
In order to gauge the effectiveness of these interventions, Jackson and Ferris will look at the number of people vaccinated in census tracts across Wisconsin to learn if more people are vaccinated in communities where specific interventions happened.
Jackson is optimistic this work will address the limitations in current vaccine models and validate effective strategies to get resources to people who need them most.
I think well have a better idea about what fairness in medical or health decision making looks like, says Jackson. My hope is this work will provide useful information for decision-makers moving forward.
Banner Health is requiring employees to be vaccinated, something Arizona's largest private employer required before COVID-19.
PHOENIX Employers requiring workers to be vaccinated is nothing new. In fact, Arizona's largest private employer has required staff to be vaccinated for influenza since 2012.
Banner Health announced on Tuesday that it will require all of its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to stay employed.
Employers are moving towards requiring these vaccines, saidArizona employment attorney Joshua Black.
Banner required employees receive vaccinations like influenza, measles, chickenpox, tuberculosis and hepatitis B before the pandemic began.
We have people in very infirmed health at the hospital thats who your clients are. People who potentially are near death. Exposing them to COVID-19 could be fatal, said Black.
Employers can legally require employees to be vaccinated in order to work, according to guidance issued by theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission.
"People who have valid reasons for religious needs or health concerns, if they are immunocompromised, employees must have accommodations," said Black. "If employees feel they are not being heard or mandating a vaccine, I would recommend them to reach out to an employment attorney to walk them through their rights."
The vaccines were viewed as a global turning point last December when health care workers began receiving their shots.
A pandemic of the unvaccinated
The Center for Disease Control said the highly contagious Delta variant is responsible for 83% of new cases, 99% of those are unvaccinated people.
The best way to prevent getting the Delta variant or any variant is to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, said ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ.
In herblog, Dr. Cara Christ discussed spreading the word on the Delta variant and protecting Arizonans.
Facts about the vaccine
People can not get COVID-19 from the vaccines themselves. The vaccines do not contain coronavirus.
Health experts waited for two months before asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to consider emergency use authorization to study any long-term side effects which health experts say almost always show up within two weeks of being vaccinated.
There is no evidence that suggests vaccines will cause infertility.
While choosing not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is a personal right, there are consequences and impacts not only yourself but loved ones and the rest of the world.
Unvaccinated people can still carry and spread the virus. Unvaccinated people can still allow the virus to replicate and cause variations such as the Delta variant.
COVID-19 Vaccine
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COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY (KUSI) Millions of Americans have already gotten their COVID-19 vaccinations as the medical community urges its the best way to end the pandemic once and for all. However, all three vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration under emergency use authorization (EUA.) Full FDA approval is taking much longer than some experts predicted.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco,fears the stalled approval could be fueling vaccine hesitancy.
The reason a lot of us are asking for that approval to happen quickly is it is holding some people back from getting the vaccine to still have them under emergency use authorization, Gandhi said, adding that the agency has the necessary data from clinical trials and studies. Thats why a lot of us are wondering why its taking so long. What would it take to approve it? Not much. They already have the full clinical trial data; they have all been published in peer-reviewed journals.
Moderna and Pfizer have both applied for full FDA approval, with Pfizer being granted priority review which could shorten the process.
Actually, its really frustrating to a lot of us. Number one, we dont actually have an FDA director named by President Biden, Gandhi said. Were not sure why, but a lot of us are calling for it because I think some people dont want to sign a piece of paper to get a vaccine and thats fair. They want it to be approved before they get it.
During a town hall Wednesday, President Joe Biden alluded to the FDA approval coming sooner than experts predicted.
The expectation, theyre not promising me any specific date but my expectation talking to the group of scientists, we put together over 20 of them plus others in the field is that sometime maybe in the beginning of school year, at the end of August, September, October, youll get a final approval saying the FDA said this is it. Its good, Biden said.
The difference between EUA and full authorization is a more in-depth review of data over a longer period.
Locally, some doctors dont feel the full FDA approval will have a significant difference on San Diegans who may be hesitant and said theres more the public can do to ensure vaccines are trusted.
I think it may make a difference for a small percentage of people, said Dr. Georgine Nanos with Kind Health Group. I think whats going to impact those people the most are when family and trusted community members encourage them to get vaccinated.
Dr. Nanos said this could however have more of an impact on the vaccine being mandated by certain institutions.
I dont necessarily support government overreach into mandating a lot of these things in peoples lives but I do think we have lots of vaccine mandates across the United States and have for decades and decades so this will probably not be that different, Dr. Nanos said.
KUSIs Hunter Sowards joined viewers live from San Diego Countys Health and Human Services Agency with more details.
