Delay In Booster Rollout Due to FDA & WHO

There is a delay in booster rollout due to the FDA’s nonacceptance. Moderna and Pfizer need to make a decision ASAP to get the booster shots out in the market!

Why Do We Need Booster Shots

The FDA says 54% of individuals are partially vaccinated, while around 63% have been fully vaccinated, and about 80 million are still unvaccinated. The government has vaccinated more than 385 million people. It has sent out around 466 million doses to private vaccination centers across the country as of September 2020. 

Completely vaccinated individuals are safe against the new delta variant COVID-19 but the risk of transmission is still high, says new data. Pfizer, Moderna, J&J vaccines have proven to be effective against the new variants. The CDC’s preliminary data published on July 30 has established the same. It has also shown how a fully vaccinated individual infected by the Delta virus increases the risk of transmission equal to an unvaccinated infected individual. The booster shots are an attempt to curtail transmission by infected vaccinated people. 

Delay In Booster Rollout

Biden aims to hasten the booster rollout to help the nation stay ahead of the pandemic, says Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC. J&J’s ongoing research showed booster shots increased the antibodies by nine folds after twenty-eight days of being vaccinated. So, why do the FDA and WHO disapprove of these booster shots?

FDA on Booster Shots

Pfizer and Moderna have not produced adequate data regarding the side effects of vaccines in the youth. The FDA has approved booster shots only for citizens above 65 years since the young are susceptible to myocarditis. It has also approved Pfizer for children between 12 to 15 years. Both the vaccine giants are requested to submit more data regarding clinical trials of booster shots before passing the final verdict by the end of this week. Individuals who got Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be eligible for a second dose from ongoing clinical trials.

WHO on Booster Shots

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, has requested America and other developed nations to hold off booster shots until the end of September. WHO stresses that the world can get over the pandemic only if the global population is vaccinated. At present, it is essential to supply excess doses to developing countries where not even 10% of the population is not vaccinated. Developed countries that have already vaccinated a preponderance of their inhabitants should not jump into added safety measures given the circumstances.