Several outside experts had an off-the-record phone call with federal health officials last week during which they objected to the White House's plan to eventually make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots available to all previously-vaccinated adults, Politico reports, citing five people familiar with the matter. The experts reportedly made the case that current data does not back up the strategy and that only people who are at most at risk of severe coronavirus infections should get the extra dose.
The phone call was "very tense," one source told Politico, and involved pretty clear disagreements between the outside voices and Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser. Fauci is in the camp that supports a wide booster rollout with the goal of reducing the spread of the virus, rather than just limiting hospitalizations and death. He also argued the U.S. didn't face a choice between boosters and donating extra doses to other countries that need their initial shots. Several participants on the call were left "mystified" by the exchange and the government's plan, Politico reports. Read more about Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The sneaking rise of whooping coughUnder the Radar The measles outbreak isn't the only one to worry about
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measlesSpeed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study findsSpeed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influenceSpeed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreadsSpeed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozensSpeed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study findsSpeed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
