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NYC ready to expand vaccinations
Mayor Bill de Blasio and health officials said the city will order more vaccine doses and will be ready to administer booster shots to residents starting in September.
NEW YORK - Responding to signs that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines is waning amid the fight against the surging and aggressive delta variant, U.S. health officials announced plans to administer booster shots to all American residents to bolster their immunity.
"Our vaccines continue to offer the best protection against severe COVID illness," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. "While we are still learning about how these vaccines perform over time and how long they will last against emerging variants, one thing is very clear — getting vaccinated can keep you out of the hospital, getting vaccinated can save your life."
In the wake of this announcement, New York City officials said the city's vaccine operations will gear up and be ready for the booster shot efforts. Dr. Ted Long, the executive director of the NYC COVID-19 Test and Trace Corps, said the city has at least 750,000 doses of vaccine right now and can order more daily and weekly.
"We have such a strong infrastructure now that we didn't have before. We have more than 30 mobile units going around the city every day, we have an at-home vaccination program. I don't think any other cities have that," Long said at the mayor's daily briefing on Wednesday. "So, our ability to really move really, really fast, we'll start ordering the vaccine now for sure, but our ability to deliver it fast to New Yorkers — we're in a very strong place to be able to do that."
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Vaccine booster guidance
U.S. health officials say new data shows vaccine protection wanes over time, especially against the aggressive delta variant. They are now recommending that all vaccinated Americans get a COVID-19 booster shot as a supplement.
In a joint statement, health and medical experts from several agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the FDA will conduct an independent evaluation of the "safety and effectiveness" of a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and that the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will review the evidence. The booster program is expected to begin on Sept. 20 starting for people who got their second dose at least eight months earlier, the officials said in the statement.
"The plan ensures that people who were fully vaccinated earliest in the vaccination rollout will be eligible for a booster first. This includes our most vulnerable population like our healthcare providers, nursing home residents, and other seniors," Vice Adm. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, said. "We will also begin delivering booster shots directly to residents of long-term care facilities."
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Federal officials say that people should stick with the same manufacturer they got their first two doses from, if possible.
"You don't want to find yourself behind playing catch up," NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said. "Better stay ahead of it than chasing after it."
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