US officials have expressed optimism that Covid-19 booster shot delivery can start for all adults on September 20, the goal set by President Joe Biden, as cases continue to rage across the country fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant. The officials insist, however, that boosters will not be rolled out without US health agencies’ authorisation, leaving open the possibility of delays.
Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to Biden, was asked yesterday on CBS’s Face The Nation whether the September 20 goal remained the planned rollout date.
“In some respects, it is. We were hoping that we would get both the candidates, both products, Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out by the week of the 20th. It is conceivable that we will only have one of them out, but the other one will follow soon thereafter,” Fauci said.
Pfizer has submitted its data, making it likely to meet this goal, Fauci said; Moderna announced that it has started submitting data. “The bottom line is, very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.”
“We’re not going to do anything unless it gets the appropriate FDA regulatory approval, and then the recommendation from the (CDC) advisory committee,” Fauci also said, explaining that he expects any possible delay with Moderna would be “at most” a few weeks.
As almost all Covid-19 infections in the US are caused by the Delta variant, officials hope boosters will clamp down on its rapid spread. Covid-19 vaccines do provide incredibly strong protection against illness, hospitalisation, and death against Delta, but breakthrough infections are reportedly rising with this variant.
At present, 53% of the US population is fully vaccinated, and 62% have received at least one dose. Covid-19 cases have increased 6% in the past week on September 4, and there has been a 22% increase in deaths over that same period.
The seven-day average for cases and deaths over this same period is 163,716 and 1,550, respectively.
The US continues to lead the world in Covid-19 cases and deaths, at 39,908,072 confirmed infections and 648,121 known fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Nearly 95% of US counties have “high” community transmission, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fauci’s statements come amid questions on Biden’s plans for distributing Covid-19 booster shots.
Leaders of the CDC and FDA have implored Biden to reconsider his plan to start offering boosters on September 20, saying they needed more data, NPR reported.