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The Biden administration's push this week to offer Covid vaccine booster shots to the general public drew sharp criticism from the scientific community. More on that below. The call for a third shot doesn't necessarily mean we will need annual boosters. Bob Towey has the story. Also, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci joined CNBC to discuss the latest on the outbreak.
| | U.S. to begin wide distribution of Covid booster shots | Federal health officials said they're preparing to offer Covid booster shots to all eligible Americans beginning the week of Sept. 20. They cited new studies, released by the CDC, that showed protection against Covid diminished over several months. Scientists, however, say the data wasn't compelling. While it appears there is a reduction in protection against mild and moderate disease, the shots still held up well against severe disease and hospitalizations, scientists said. There isn't enough data to support the third booster for all at this point, said epidemiologist Dr. Priya Sampathkumar.
-Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | | | | CDC director says we might not need annual Covid boosters after third shot | CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Americans may not need yearly boosters, saying a third shot may sufficiently strengthen the long-term protection of Pfizer or Moderna's vaccines. Walensky's remarks came a day after she and other top U.S. health officials said they plan to start offering boosters to all eligible Americans eight months after their second vaccine shots. The effectiveness of mRNA vaccines lessens over time, particularly for anyone at high risk for dangerous coronavirus complications or for those who were immunized early in the vaccine rollout.
-Bob Towey | | | | Fear, mandates and secret jabs to boost vaccinations | Most Covid vaccine holdouts admit to a certain amount of fear behind their hesitancy. Now fear is pushing some to roll up their sleeves amid the Delta variant surge hitting hardest among the unvaccinated, more employers issuing workplace mandates. But in hard-hit Missouri, where vaccine resistance runs deep, one hospital is going the extra mile to help allay anxiety over fears they'll be shunned for getting vaccinated. They say those secret jabs are helping boost numbers.
-Bertha Coombs | | | | Fauci says U.S. is expanding Covid vaccine manufacturing to donate | The U.S. is amping up manufacturing of Covid vaccines to donate more doses to countries that don't have as much access to the lifesaving shots. "We are now working on greatly expanding the capacity to allow us to donate hundreds and hundreds of millions of doses to the low- and middle-income countries," White House chief medical advisor Fauci told CNBC. WHO's Dr. Mike Ryan said wealthy nations that decide to give booster doses are "handing out extra life jackets" to those who already have one while letting other people drown. Fauci said the U.S. has enough extra doses to help the world and give boosters to Americans.
-Rich Mendez | | | | Singapore conditionally lifting quarantines for some travelers | Singapore is reopening its borders to more destinations, and some travelers from Hong Kong, Macao, Germany and Brunei will soon be able to enter without having to serve quarantine. The city-state announced the lifting of border restrictions for visitors from Hong Kong and Macao, who can apply for entry immediately and enter Singapore as soon as Aug. 26, according to Transport Minister S. Iswaran. Singapore will also be opening a so-called vaccinated travel lane with Germany and Brunei in September. It means Singaporeans can travel to Germany and Brunei, while visitors from those countries can travel to Singapore without quarantine, if the conditions are met.
-Abigail Ng | |
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