Fauci: Vaccines protect against variants
White House downplays vaccine supply concerns, offers vaccinators to states. Cases still going up, while deaths go down.
Coming up at 6:00 PM Eastern Time today, I’ll be one of Emilio Pardo’s guests on Real Talk. Please tune-in if you can, or watch the replay. Should be a good discussion.
Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment prevents COVID-19 in people exposed to the virus, and it can be given as a single shot, the company reported in a news release.
Large numbers of military personnel are refusing COVID-19 vaccinations, raising concerns about potential outbreaks among military personnel and their families.
Vaccines protect against variants: White House chief medical advisor and NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci reported Monday on several studies showing that the mRNA vaccines provide good protection against deaths or serious illness from COVID-19, even in areas where variants of concern are circulating. Fauci noted that some “breakthrough'“ infections occur with any vaccine, but the evidence is strong that the two-dose regimen of the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna “are really good,” including against variants.
White House advisor Andy Slavitt says he is hopeful that the FDA and CDC will be able to complete their review and clear the Pfizer vaccine for use in young people by Fall. On Friday, Pfizer submitted new clinical data and asked FDA for emergency use authorization to use their mRNA vaccine in children between age 12 and 15. The vaccines would most likely be given at pediatrician offices.
Slavitt also said the supply of vaccines is solid, even with the delay in production from the Baltimore factory involved in the J&J vaccine. He said federal staff and other resources would be deployed to help states distribute many of the doses they have but haven’t used yet.
Officials in Burbank, Calif., erected a fence around a restaurant that has persisted in its refusal to adhere with public health orders to prevent COVID-19.
On Saturday, I was a guest on Sree Sreenivasan’s radio program on New York radio station WBAI. In addition to a good discussion about the current state of the COVID-19 crisis, the caller questions were good reminders of the many different points of view — and the enormous amount of misinformation/disinformation that pushes against public health in the USA today. Listen here.