8/15/2021- 9:13 a.m.
NEW YORK— The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday gave the final approval for physicians to begin administering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines for transplant recipients and others with severely weakened immune systems to better protect against the disease.
Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the president, spoke with reporter’s on Friday and explained the importance of the booster shots.
Fauci says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are currently studying several groups of Americans on a day-to-day basis to see if the level of protection provided by the vaccines could diminish to a point of concern.
“We don’t feel it needs to be done now. But we’re preparing for the eventuality that this might be needed at some time in the future,” the doctor said.
He adds that the CDC is working hard to protect Americans from the virus, but he is still concerned that a new vaccine-resistant variant could emerge.
“If you allow the virus to freely circulate in the community, among so many unvaccinated people, you give it ample opportunity to mutate,” said the doctor.
The guidance is not yet for the general population, which Dr. Fauci said is still protected by the first two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna.
Fauci says the U.S. has been fortunate in that the vaccines currently on the market are doing a good job at protecting against the delta variant currently circulating.
However, he stresses that there are still 93 million people in the United States who are eligible for vaccination, who have not yet received a single dose.
“The more opportunity you give it to mutate, the more likely it could then evolve into a variant that might not be as well protected against by the vaccine.”
