WASHINGTON (REUTERS, NYTIMES) - Three doses of a vaccine is the "optimal care" against the coronavirus but two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remains the US government's official definition of fully vaccinated, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday (Dec 12).
Health officials will continue to evaluate what should constitute the official designation, Dr Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and President Joe Biden's Chief Medical Advisor, said on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos.
"Well, I certainly think, George, it's the optimal care," Dr Fauci said in response to being asked whether three vaccine doses could be the new standard of care.
"I mean, for official requirements, it's still two shots of the mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) and one shot of the J&J for the official determination of what's required or not. But I think if you look at the data, the more and more it becomes clear that if you want to be optimally protected you really should get a booster," he added.
It will take months to tell whether annual booster doses of the vaccine are needed, Dr Fauci said, adding that he is hoping from an immunological standpoint that one booster dose will be enough to provide protection greater than just the six months offered by the initial vaccine.
Some experts say that in general, a longer interval between doses may provide a stronger and longer-lasting immunity, giving the immune system time to mature.
With the United States facing the threat of yet another coronavirus variant before holiday gatherings, Dr Fauci acknowledged that Americans are suffering from "Covid fatigue" but said, "we have the tools to protect ourselves".
He again urged Americans to get vaccinated, seek out shots for their young children and obtain boosters that may offer “optimal protection” against the Omicron variant.
Vaccination alone could "go a long way to getting us through this cold winter season, which clearly is associated with a spike in respiratory illnesses", he said, noting that 60 million Americans are still not vaccinated and some 100 million vaccinated individuals are eligible for boosters.
Much remains unknown about Omicron as scientists race to study it, and the Delta variant is still the dominant version in the United States.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that it had detected 43 infections with the Omicron variant in 22 states during the first eight days of December; most had been among vaccinated individuals.
Only one-third of the individuals infected with the Omicron variant reported having travelled internationally, indicating the variant is already circulating locally within communities.
Dr Fauci’s remarks came as the nation approaches 800,000 virus deaths and a total of 50 million cases. As of Saturday, there was a daily average of more than 1,200 new deaths and more than 119,000 new cases nationwide, according to a New York Times database.
Dr Fauci strongly urged people to also wear masks whenever they are in an enclosed public space with people whose vaccination status is not known.
"Masking is not going to be forever, but it can get us out of the very difficult situation we’re in now," he said.
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