Biden administration aims to recommend booster shots within a few weeks

Some of these health authorities, including Peter Marks, the top Vaccine Regulator of the Food and Drug Administration, argued that the vaccination campaign should start well before the next week, the first in April. By the week he advocated expanding the target audience for additional booster shots, soaring, people with knowledge of the problem said.

Although cases in the U.S. are still declining, the Biden administration is closely monitoring the recent Covid surge in some European countries where BA.2 is endemic, with previous surges here. We are paying attention to the fact that we are ahead of the surge. A more infectious version of Omicron, the subvariant accounts for about 35% of all US Covid cases to date. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAlthough it is already the majority stock in the New England region.

Health officials have also reviewed recent data showing that vaccine efficacy is beginning to decline. The White House declined to comment.

There is widespread agreement that the fourth shot will be guaranteed in the end, but other officials have said April 6th meeting FDA Vaccine Advisory Board

At that meeting, the agency’s external advisors will discuss a framework for who should get booster shots and when. The FDA has traditionally consulted with members of the Commission before making major vaccine decisions, and if authorities move forward without their opinion, there is a risk of offending those influential health professionals.

Some health officials also remain uncertain whether older Americans still need boosters. There are no definitive signs that a surge in European cases will lead to an increase in infectious diseases in the United States. And while recent data reviewed by the government show that the ability of vaccines to prevent infection has been significantly eroded within a few months, those vaccines still largely protect against the risk of serious illness and death. Indicates that you are doing. According to one who has knowledge of the problem, top health officials are waiting for clearer data from the CDC and Israel to determine the effectiveness of the fourth shot against different groups and groups. ..

“The somewhat encouraging news is that despite the increase in the number of cases, there is no increase. [intensive care unit] President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said US officials are getting feedback from European officials. “They see an increase in hospitalizations, but they believe it contributes somewhat due to the lack of distinction between Covid and those hospitalized in Covid.”

Top Biden officials have repeatedly emphasized that their main goal in managing a pandemic is not to prevent infection, but to keep people away from the hospital. However, there is still no consensus within the government on how much the vaccine’s effectiveness for hospitalization needs to be reduced before another booster is guaranteed.

Further complicating the debate is the concern of health authorities about vaccine equity. Specifically, allowing a second booster only for people over the age of 65 distorts more whitely, even though African-Americans and Latinos are imbalanced in the effects of Covid. There are concerns that demographic eligibility will be opened. ..

Internal deliberations will take place a few days after Pfizer and its partner BioNTech formally seek approval for a second booster shot for people over the age of 65. The company announced on Wednesday that it would submit an emergency use authorization application to distribute the vaccine to children under the age of six.

These companies relied heavily on data from Israel and argued that additional shots could enhance people’s defenses against Covid. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has repeatedly publicly called for the administration to recommend additional shots, which he calls a “necessary” move.

“The protection you’re getting from the third, it’s good enough, it’s actually pretty good for hospitalization and death,” he said last Sunday in “Face the Nation.” “It’s not very good for infections, but it doesn’t last that long.”

Since then, the FDA and CDC have been in close contact with their booster shot applications, one person with knowledge of this issue said. The White House, meanwhile, says that whatever decision the health department makes, it needs to be clearly and clearly communicated to the public.

An FDA spokesperson declined to comment on internal discussions, but said the FDA “uses our thorough, science-based approach to consider requests as quickly as possible.” ..

The Biden administration wants to avoid repeating last year’s nasty debate about the first round of boosters. This was dominated by internal and external clashes about whether another shot was needed for a wider population, especially because other countries struggled to secure it first.

The CDC ultimately recommended boosters for certain demographics considered high-risk, including adults over the age of 65 and other adults at risk of Covid exposure at work. But the compromise fueled confusion and criticism of the administration’s message. The CDC opened its eligibility to all adults a few months later, but many health officials have blamed the episode for curbing their enthusiasm for boosters.

About two-thirds of people over the age of 65 receive boosters. According to CDC data.. However, less than half of all adults are getting additional shots.

This time, authorities emphasized the need to get approval from all different health agencies for the second booster plan before it was released, one with knowledge of the matter said.

Internal discussions are also taking place against the backdrop of the congressional conflict over Covid’s funding. Congress has not yet approved the billions of dollars the government says it needs to buy more vaccines, treatments, and tests.

Officials said they had enough vaccines to provide a second boost to all Americans over the age of 65. However, warnings have been issued that the country could be looted later this year due to insufficient supply to cover the entire adult population.

Officials said the government needed to begin negotiations on a new supply contract between Pfizer and Moderna in early April to ensure that doses were delivered by the fall.

Sarah Owermohle contributed to this report.