"Obviously, that will not be enough for all Americans," said Jha, who has repeatedly warned that the U.S. is also in discussions with other companies for additional shots, he said. has placed one order with Pfizer for 105 million doses of the updated vaccine. health officials are worried the country faces another major surge in infection this fall as immunity from the vaccines wanes and people spend more time indoors to escape the colder weather. The FDA told the vaccine makers last month to change the formula in their shots to target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, as well as the original virus strain that first emerged in Wuhan, China, ahead of a possible fall booster campaign. The Biden administration is also discussing whether the broader population should be eligible for a second booster shot, though that decision ultimately rests with the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC, Jha said. People should also consider getting tested for Covid before attending any large indoor events or visiting with individuals who are at high risk like people with weak immune systems. He also said people who test positive should consult with their health-care provider about receiving Paxlovid, Pfizer's oral antiviral treatment. Jha encouraged all Americans to stay up to date on their shots and said people ages 50 and older should get their fourth dose. Walensky said the current omicron wave will likely play out differently around the country depending on how much immunity communities have from vaccination, boosting and prior infection. People who caught the previous omicron variants, BA.1 and BA.2, are likely still at risk of infection from BA.4 and BA.5, according Dr. But as cases increase due to its greater transmissibility, some people will end up in the hospital or ICU, he said. In other words, people who are fully vaccinated might get infected and have mild to moderate symptoms, but they are unlikely to be hospitalized and even more unlikely to die from Covid.įauci said BA.5 doesn't appear to carry a great risk of severe disease compared with other omicron subvariants. Fauci said BA.5 is more transmissible than past variants and it substantially evades the protective antibodies triggered by vaccines, but the shots are still generally protecting against severe disease. The omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants now make up 80% of Covid infections across the U.S., with BA.5 emerging as the dominant version of the virus.
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