On Friday, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s CDC said the U.S. is ready to launch a seasonal New Crown vaccine booster if needed.
Associated Press file photo
“We want to see the best case scenario and prepare for the worst case scenario,” CDC Director Rochelle Varensky said in an interview.
Valensky said CDC researchers are studying whether rollout booster shots for variants already in the U.S. are needed and whether the protection will wear off over time.
Valensky said, “We’re doing studies on booster shots to see if we need them six months, a year, two years apart — we don’t really know, but we want to be ready when we need them.”
She said she is also ready if the U.S. does need seasonal booster shots. She said, “Our vision is that we will do this in the same way that we distribute flu vaccines. We’re hoping we won’t need to do that every season, but we’re preparing just in case.”
More than one-third of Americans have been fully vaccinated against the new coronavirus, but still fall short of the herd immunity benchmark of 70 to 85 percent. And, many of those who have not yet been vaccinated have not decided whether to get it, or have decided not to.
In the meantime, experts warn, variants have been spreading and the virus has the potential to mutate to the point where current vaccines do not provide adequate protection.
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