Richard Besser, who served as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under former President Barack Obama, said the US would be better off getting both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, despite the slow rollout .
On CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith,” Besser agrees with comments made by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, delivered earlier Monday. During a Covid-19 briefing in the White House, Fauci said it was the clearest way for us to protect people against the virus and its growing number of variants, to keep two doses on track.
“I will go with Dr. Fauci,” Besser said. “I am concerned that if we go for a one-dose regimen, our people may be able to provide optimal levels of protection.”
Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration on the basis of the protection they offer after two doses, at separate times. Because of the slower-than-expected vaccination of the vaccine, coupled with the Covid-19 variant popping up across the country, some scientists have recommended the distribution of single vaccines to more people instead of double doses to fewer patients.
Besser, who now serves as president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, also said it was too early for states to start opening pubs and restaurants for larger groups of people. He said that while evidence shows that our schools can open safely, indoor social gatherings can lead to wider outbreaks “if we let them down.”