Moderna coronavirus vaccine.Photo: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesModerna may not meet the Biden administration’s Sept. 20 goal to begin administering COVID-19 booster shots to adults in the United States, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.On Sunday, PresidentJoe Biden’s chief medical advisor, 80, said there is a chance that recipients of the Moderna vaccine will have to wait longer than originally expected to get their third shot.“Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline. We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it so we could do it simultaneously, but if not, we’ll do it sequentially,” Fauci told guest host Weijia Jiang onFace the Nation. “So the bottom line is very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.“ANNA MONEYMAKER/POOL/AFP via GettyHowever, there is no guarantee the Pfizer vaccine will be ready to roll out on Sept. 20. As Fauci noted in the interview, the boosters must receive the “appropriate FDA regulatory approval” and a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.Fauci also said researchers are currently assessing whether the vaccines can successfully be mixed. For now, he advises against it.“Hopefully within a reasonable period of time, measured in a couple of weeks, we will have that data. But right now, we are suggesting and hopefully it will work out that way, that if you got Pfizer, you will then boost with Pfizer. If you get Moderna, you’ll be boosting with Moderna,” he said.Vaccine.GettyPfizer became the first of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. toreceive full approvalfor people age 16 and up. It is still under emergency approval for kids 12 to 15 years old. (Moderna’s vaccine is expected to receive its full FDA approval in the near future.)Though he does not believe the Delta variant is more severe than the Alpha, Fauci still pointed to the strain as reason for the uptick in child cases and hospitalizations.“The Delta variant, as opposed to the Alpha variant, is much, much more transmissible. It has an efficiency of transmitting from person to person much, much more readily than previous variants. And so many more people, including children, are getting infected,” he said.NIC COURY/AFP via Getty"You’ll get more children infected, and in fact when they get infected, just on a pure basis of the relative number of people that will actually get into the hospital, you’re going to wind up seeing more children in the hospital,” he added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.As forthe new so-called “Mu” variant, Fauci does not believe there’s any indication yet regarding its response to the vaccine. That said, he said the vaccines have been “very effective against any variant that we’ve tested.“A child getting vaccinated.Getty"So that’s the good news about all vaccines. If you get the level of antibody high enough, which boosters actually do, then you can feel pretty confident that you’re going to be protected against virtually any variant.“As of Sunday, 53% of the U.S. populace (175.9 million people) isfully vaccinated against COVID-19while 62.3% (206.9 million) have received at least one dose, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
Moderna coronavirus vaccine.Photo: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Moderna may not meet the Biden administration’s Sept. 20 goal to begin administering COVID-19 booster shots to adults in the United States, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.On Sunday, PresidentJoe Biden’s chief medical advisor, 80, said there is a chance that recipients of the Moderna vaccine will have to wait longer than originally expected to get their third shot.“Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline. We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it so we could do it simultaneously, but if not, we’ll do it sequentially,” Fauci told guest host Weijia Jiang onFace the Nation. “So the bottom line is very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.“ANNA MONEYMAKER/POOL/AFP via GettyHowever, there is no guarantee the Pfizer vaccine will be ready to roll out on Sept. 20. As Fauci noted in the interview, the boosters must receive the “appropriate FDA regulatory approval” and a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.Fauci also said researchers are currently assessing whether the vaccines can successfully be mixed. For now, he advises against it.“Hopefully within a reasonable period of time, measured in a couple of weeks, we will have that data. But right now, we are suggesting and hopefully it will work out that way, that if you got Pfizer, you will then boost with Pfizer. If you get Moderna, you’ll be boosting with Moderna,” he said.Vaccine.GettyPfizer became the first of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. toreceive full approvalfor people age 16 and up. It is still under emergency approval for kids 12 to 15 years old. (Moderna’s vaccine is expected to receive its full FDA approval in the near future.)Though he does not believe the Delta variant is more severe than the Alpha, Fauci still pointed to the strain as reason for the uptick in child cases and hospitalizations.“The Delta variant, as opposed to the Alpha variant, is much, much more transmissible. It has an efficiency of transmitting from person to person much, much more readily than previous variants. And so many more people, including children, are getting infected,” he said.NIC COURY/AFP via Getty"You’ll get more children infected, and in fact when they get infected, just on a pure basis of the relative number of people that will actually get into the hospital, you’re going to wind up seeing more children in the hospital,” he added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.As forthe new so-called “Mu” variant, Fauci does not believe there’s any indication yet regarding its response to the vaccine. That said, he said the vaccines have been “very effective against any variant that we’ve tested.“A child getting vaccinated.Getty"So that’s the good news about all vaccines. If you get the level of antibody high enough, which boosters actually do, then you can feel pretty confident that you’re going to be protected against virtually any variant.“As of Sunday, 53% of the U.S. populace (175.9 million people) isfully vaccinated against COVID-19while 62.3% (206.9 million) have received at least one dose, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
Moderna may not meet the Biden administration’s Sept. 20 goal to begin administering COVID-19 booster shots to adults in the United States, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
On Sunday, PresidentJoe Biden’s chief medical advisor, 80, said there is a chance that recipients of the Moderna vaccine will have to wait longer than originally expected to get their third shot.
“Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline. We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it so we could do it simultaneously, but if not, we’ll do it sequentially,” Fauci told guest host Weijia Jiang onFace the Nation. “So the bottom line is very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.”
ANNA MONEYMAKER/POOL/AFP via Getty
However, there is no guarantee the Pfizer vaccine will be ready to roll out on Sept. 20. As Fauci noted in the interview, the boosters must receive the “appropriate FDA regulatory approval” and a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Fauci also said researchers are currently assessing whether the vaccines can successfully be mixed. For now, he advises against it.
“Hopefully within a reasonable period of time, measured in a couple of weeks, we will have that data. But right now, we are suggesting and hopefully it will work out that way, that if you got Pfizer, you will then boost with Pfizer. If you get Moderna, you’ll be boosting with Moderna,” he said.
Vaccine.Getty
Pfizer became the first of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. toreceive full approvalfor people age 16 and up. It is still under emergency approval for kids 12 to 15 years old. (Moderna’s vaccine is expected to receive its full FDA approval in the near future.)
Though he does not believe the Delta variant is more severe than the Alpha, Fauci still pointed to the strain as reason for the uptick in child cases and hospitalizations.
“The Delta variant, as opposed to the Alpha variant, is much, much more transmissible. It has an efficiency of transmitting from person to person much, much more readily than previous variants. And so many more people, including children, are getting infected,” he said.
NIC COURY/AFP via Getty
“You’ll get more children infected, and in fact when they get infected, just on a pure basis of the relative number of people that will actually get into the hospital, you’re going to wind up seeing more children in the hospital,” he added.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
As forthe new so-called “Mu” variant, Fauci does not believe there’s any indication yet regarding its response to the vaccine. That said, he said the vaccines have been “very effective against any variant that we’ve tested.”
A child getting vaccinated.Getty
“So that’s the good news about all vaccines. If you get the level of antibody high enough, which boosters actually do, then you can feel pretty confident that you’re going to be protected against virtually any variant.”
As of Sunday, 53% of the U.S. populace (175.9 million people) isfully vaccinated against COVID-19while 62.3% (206.9 million) have received at least one dose, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
