Dr. Anthony Fauci listens as President Joe Biden makes remarks on the Omicron Covid-19 variant at the White House on November 29.
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Redefining what it means to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is certainly “on the table,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday.
Speaking to CNBC’s Squawk Box, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser said there was no doubt that the optimal vaccination would be a booster dose.
Currently, individuals are considered fully vaccinated, either two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
But Fauci said Friday that regulators are open to reconsidering those definitions.
“There is no doubt that a booster vaccination is the best vaccination,” he said.
“Whether the CDC will change that or not, it is certainly on the table and open to discussion. I’m not sure when this will happen exactly. But I think people shouldn’t lose sight of the message that there is no doubt that if you want to be optimally protected, you should get your booster. “
Vaccination status has impacted the lives of millions of Americans. Millions of health workers across the country are required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as part of Biden’s contested vaccine mandate, while some states and cities have their own rules that limit the freedom of action for unvaccinated people.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner and CNBC official, told Squawk Box on Friday that a surge in cases meant it could soon become difficult to get a booster vaccination.
“We know that Omicron moves very quickly … this variant will move through the country much faster than Delta, so people who are waiting for a booster to protect themselves against this variant – time is running out” can “the” , he said.
“Dates will fill up, demand will increase. The best way to protect yourself is to get a booster.”
