Fauci supports that vaccination against covid is mandatory 0:23
(CNN) -
As the first full FDA approval of a COVID-19 vaccine is granted, Dr. Anthony Fauci urged the public to get involved, saying that if the "overwhelming majority" of the population is vaccinated, the United States could have the pandemic under control in the spring of 2022.
"We hope to be there ... but there is no guarantee because it is up to us," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the president's chief medical adviser, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday.
Health experts are still not clear about what proportion of the population should be vaccinated to achieve a level of protection that allows a return to normalcy, such as going safely to restaurants and theaters, Fauci said.
Therefore, the best way forward is to vaccinate as many people as possible, he said.
On Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the Pfizer / BioNTech covid-19 vaccine for people over 16 years of age.
With just 51.5% of the population fully vaccinated, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fauci said the move could help allay concerns. and convincing a significant portion of Americans to get vaccinated.
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This hope is reinforced by the worsening effects of the pandemic.
Hospitals in many states with lower vaccination rates are overwhelmed by an increase in patients, students return to classrooms only to have to isolate themselves due to exposure, and cases among children are on the rise.
But some experts are skeptical that vaccination rates will increase just because of approval.
"I think there will be a modest increase, but, look, we have a long way to go to fill this gap," said Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccinologist and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
"I think having full approval will certainly convince some, but it's just one of a dozen bogus talking points put there by the disinformation campaign. And I think a lot of people are going to go back to one of the others," he said.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biological Research and Evaluation, stated Monday that several false claims about covid-19 vaccines have challenged the vaccination of more Americans.
Some of them include false claims about infertility, microchips, and deaths.
"Let me be clear: these claims are simply not true. Getting the covid-19 vaccine can save your life," Marks said.
What can really motivate people to get those life-saving vaccines, Hotez said, is whether the authorization paves the way for employers, businesses and schools to force vaccinations.
Governments and schools that force vaccination
Some government agencies and schools are already calling for mandatory vaccination.
The now former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a statement on Monday, before leaving office, calling for all New York State employers to require vaccination against COVID-19 after the FDA approved the vaccine for Pfizer.
"This morning's announcement that the Federal Food and Drug Administration has fully approved Pfizer's covid-19 vaccine removes any doubt in the science and efficacy of covid vaccines," Cuomo said.
The state already requires all eligible government and healthcare employees to be vaccinated.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also announced a vaccination mandate Monday.
All state employees, which includes preschool to 12-year schools and public universities, must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or undergo periodic testing, Murphy said.
Many colleges and universities across the country have announced the obligation to vaccinate students in the new school year.
This Monday, the University of Minnesota joined the list, as announced by the president of that institution, Joan Gable, and the dean of the School of Medicine, Jakub Tolar, in a letter addressed to students, faculty and staff.
Faculty and staff are "expected" to report their immunization status as of Tuesday, according to the letter.
Fighting the delta variant
One of the factors that has raised concern about the spread of covid-19 is the delta variant, which is more transmissible.
Pfizer is making a vaccine specifically targeting the delta variant.
But the CEO of that company, Albert Bourla, said Monday that he does not think it is necessary because the current vaccine is very effective.
"We are making a specialized delta vaccine right now," Bourla told NBC.
"I'm pretty sure we won't need it," he said.
Authorities have begun preparing reinforcement administration to protect against the variant in the fall and winter.
But health experts say the move is a precaution and not a sign that vaccines already in use are ineffective.
"There is several real-world evidence emerging here that suggests that the vaccine is still effective against the delta variant," Marks said.
"Data from Israel seem to suggest that vaccine immunity tends to wane over time, so this is something we will be monitoring closely," he added.
The children are still waiting
As health experts celebrate the first full approval of a vaccine against the covid-19 virus, many have questions about how children will be protected.
The approval only extends to teens 16 and older.
That means 12-15 year olds continue to be vaccinated under emergency use authorizations.
And many parents have looked forward to the protection of the vaccine for even younger children.
The FDA emphasized Monday that the approval does not mean that the vaccine can be used "off-label" in children under 12 years of age, saying it "would not be appropriate."
The term "off-label" refers to an approved product that is used in a way or on a patient for which it was not necessarily approved.
Vaccinations for that age group are still in process.
Sufficient data for them could be available in mid-fall for Pfizer and a little later for Moderna, Fauci said.
The FDA will then examine the data and conduct a risk-benefit analysis, Fauci said.
"That could be a couple more months, so we don't know if we are going to have the regulatory decision in late fall, early winter or it could even come the following year," Fauci said.
Fauci asserted that the decision to authorize the vaccine for this age group is "fundamentally based on safety."
"I don't think there is any doubt that it will be effective in children of that younger age. I have no doubt about it," Fauci said.
"It will be a question of security," he stressed.
CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas, Virginia Langmaid, Laura Ly, Taylor Romine, Jennifer Henderson, Kara Devlin, and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
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