Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said additional mandates from schools and businesses may be necessary if more people are not persuaded to vaccinate by sending messages from health officials and “trusted political messengers.”
“I believe this will change because I don’t think people don’t want to go to work or go to college… are leaving,” Fauci said during an interview with CNN’s Jen Christensen. NLGJA, Association of LGBTQ Journalists, Conference Sunday. “You want them to do it on a completely voluntary basis, but if that doesn’t work, you have to go to alternatives.”
Fauci said the combination of the highly infectious Delta variant and the vaccine holdout has put the United States in a “very difficult period” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the eligible population in the US, which is currently limited to those 12 and older, 63% have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health experts and officials are aiming to vaccinate most of the population to control the spread.
US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said businesses that want employees to return to work and remain on the job will benefit from the vaccine requirements. The employees will also benefit from the mandate, he added.
“I believe this will not only improve public health, but also give people peace of mind,” Murthy told CNN on Sunday.
But Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson argued that needs can be reversed.
“We have to overcome the resistance,” Hutchinson said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “This is a very serious, deadly virus and we are all trying to get into this together to get increased levels of vaccination in the population. The problem is that I am trying to overcome the resistance, but the President’s actions in a mandate have hardened the resistance. “
As the mandate continues to be debated, some hospitals are feeling the impact of the reduction in vaccination rates.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis sounded the alarm Friday, saying, “We really have the lowest ICU available rate we’ve had since the start of this crisis, partly unrelated to COVID and only to other types of cancer.” because of the trauma.” Cause that goes up seasonally at this time of year.”
Police said some hospitals in his state are “getting very close to the limits of their capacity. And this would not have happened if people had been vaccinated. “
Kids may get vaccines by Halloween
The former US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner said parents may reach out for vaccinations for Halloween to protect their young children from the virus.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who is a board member at Pfizer, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday that the company expects to have a vaccine for children aged 5-11 ready for the FDA by the end of September. data will be. have hope.
Gottlieb said, “The FDA says it will be a matter of weeks, not months, to determine whether they are going to authorize vaccines for children between 5 and 11. I Let me explain that I do this maybe four weeks, maybe six weeks.” .
While it is expected that vaccines for young children will be available soon, the FDA warned parents not to rush to vaccinate their children before approval from the agency.
“Children are not young adults — and issues that may be addressed in pediatric vaccine trials may include whether vaccines previously used for adults are more effective than vaccines,” the FDA said in a statement Friday. are different.” -Whether a different dosage or different strength build is needed. “
Until vaccinations are safe for that age group, Texas Children’s Hospital pathologist-in-chief Dr. James Versalovic told CBS that prevention is key.
“In addition to prevention … we must continue to emphasize the importance of timely diagnosis through testing for all parents and families,” Versalovic said. “And then triage care appropriately. Decide whether that child needs hospital-based care. We know how children are treated in this time of pandemic.”
NYC will welcome 100% of students
Concerns about the risk of children becoming infected have risen as many freshmen return to their classrooms for the school year.
Monday is the first time New York City’s public schools are projecting a 100% student return from last year.
“We’ve been working for 18 months to prepare for this day,” New York Education Chancellor Misha Ross Porter told CNN in an interview Friday.
Last week, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that 72% of teachers have been vaccinated and that 65% of students aged 12-17 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In some parts of the country, a surge in pediatric cases has been accompanied by a return to campus.
“We’re on a high plateau. The reality is that if we all pull together, we can go to another peak – or to another valley,” said Versalovic at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Gottlieb said keeping students in “pods” in schools and regular asymptomatic testing could help reduce transmission.
“Instead of leaving the whole class, you test them in a serial fashion to make sure you don’t have any risks that could lead to a downstream case and so you can actually use the test to prevent quarantine. can do. Gottlieb said during the Axios event on Friday.
CNN’s Jen Christensen, Jessica Figer, Elizabeth Stuart, Dakin Andone, Aya Almarosi and Holly Yan contributed to this report.
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