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As the Biden administration stepped up efforts to get more Americans vaccinated, an advisory panel from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to vote on whether to approve Moderna Inc’s third dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Moderna hopes to approve a booster injection containing 50 micrograms of vaccine on Thursday, which is half the regular dose, but still higher than the Pfizer BioNTech injection containing 30 micrograms.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month Officially recognized Pfizer-BioNTech boosters target specific parts of the U.S. population.
The FDA advisory panel will vote to determine whether Moderna assistance should be used in people 65 years and older, people at high risk of severe COVID-19, and people between 18 and 64 years of age who are frequently exposed to coronavirus infection within 6 months after the second injection. Pusher. To their work.
President Joe Biden, who is pushing US companies to adopt mandatory vaccine requirements, said on Thursday that as the US coronavirus pandemic appears to be easing, he expects the FDA to approve more booster injections and vaccines for children soon.
“It’s working. We are making progress,” Biden said in a speech at the White House.
After seeing a surge in infections in the middle of this year, the United States is now experiencing a decline in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Biden cited data from the White House COVID-19 Working Group as saying that in the past six weeks, the number of daily COVID-19 cases across the country has fallen by 47%, while the number of hospitalizations has fallen by 38%.
But US officials worry that as the North American population gathers indoors in the upcoming cold winter, the infection rate may soar again. “This is not the time to relax. We still have a lot to do,” Biden said.
He added that there are still 66 million American adults who have not yet been vaccinated.
The President of the United States has urged private companies to require workers to be vaccinated, and the US Department of Labor is preparing to issue an emergency rule requiring employers with more than 100 employees to request vaccinations.
Biden said: “Every day, we see more companies implementing vaccination requirements, and more and more data show that they are effective.”
On January 29, 2021, a medical worker holds a bottle of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccination spot in Manhattan, New York City [File: Mike Segar/Reuters]Republican opposition
However, Biden’s efforts to request vaccinations have encountered resistance, especially in the country’s Republican-led regions.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott issued an order on October 11 to try to prohibit private companies from imposing vaccination. White House officials have said that federal rules supersede such state orders.
“Vaccination requirements shouldn’t be another issue that divides us. That’s why we continue to fight the misinformation there,” Biden said.
If the FDA approves Moderna’s booster as expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will make specific recommendations on who should be vaccinated. Biden said he also expects Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine to be approved for booster shots soon.
At a hearing before the expected vote of the FDA advisory panel on Thursday, Israeli health officials stated that the boosted injection of Pfizer’s BioNTech vaccine has improved the protection of people aged 40 and over in Israel against severe cases of COVID-19.
“What we are seeing is a breakthrough in the epidemic curve in Israel,” said Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, director of public health services at the Israeli Ministry of Health.
Alroy-Preis says Israel strengthens vaccination program, Now includes 50% of the population of all age groups, and even among the unvaccinated people in Israel, they are beginning to reduce infections.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has Call on rich countries Like the United States, postpone the provision of booster injections until more people in less developed countries receive the first dose of vaccine.
At the same time, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Antonio Guterres) 8 billion USD requested To ensure that the COVID-19 vaccine can be distributed fairly throughout the world.
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