Former Biden adviser Andy Slavitt said Tuesday that a mix of complacency among people younger than 25 and wariness about side effects from the COVID-19 shots is to blame for lagging vaccination rates in the U.S.
Vaccines administered in the U.S. are approved for emergency use, meaning their benefits outweigh the risks amid the crisis, though developers are seeking full licenses from the Food and Drug Administration, which require additional data.
“I think a lot of those people, hopefully, as they see the FDA give final approval to Pfizer and Moderna will, in fact, jump on the bandwagon and get vaccinated,” Mr. Slavitt told CNN.
He said people under 25 who are OK with the vaccines but haven’t prioritized immunization will be spurred on by increasing reports of delta-variant outbreaks that are putting younger persons in the hospital.
The vaccines are plentiful in the U.S., but only 47% of the population is fully vaccinated.
President Biden will address the vaccination campaign Tuesday as the administration worries about the emergence of two Americas — one with poor vaccination rates and outbreaks, and one that’s relatively protected from the disease.
Southwestern Missouri reported a delta-driven outbreak, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is warning about rising transmission as he tries to boost vaccination rates.
Authorities in Galveston, Texas, reported 125 infections tied to an outbreak at a church camp. Vaccines were recently approved for those 12 and older, so some youth might not have had the chance to get vaccinated before the virus spread and, in some cases, came home with them.
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health recently said 99% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are among unvaccinated persons.
“These are truly amazing vaccines,” Mr. Slavitt said. “We in the U.S. are fortunate compared to many parts of the world. Each one of us has access to a vaccine if we want it. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, the new things we’re seeing around the world should add to the weight of evidence to convince you to go talk to your doctor, go talk to your pharmacist, get whatever questions you might have answers, and go get vaccinated because the protection it gives you will be unmatched.”
Recent data from Israel suggested the Pfizer vaccine’s effectiveness against infection dropped from 93% to 64% as the delta variant circulated and societal restrictions ended. However, it was still 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations and severe illness.
“This suggests if this data is indeed accurate … there may be more people who have asymptomatic disease than we know about,” Mr. Slavitt said.
He also said if immunity from the vaccines wanes at some point, then it will probably be seen in Israel first because it moved swiftly earlier this year.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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