Washington – Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, dr. Scott Gottlieb, said on Sunday that an increase in coronavirus infections among young people is causing new outbreaks in some countries, but he does not believe there will be a ‘true’ fourth wave of the pandemic.
“What we are seeing are bags of infection across the country, especially in younger people who have not yet been vaccinated, and also in children of school-going age,” Gottlieb said in an interview on ‘Face the Nation’. among school-going children in Michigan, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.
“You see outbreaks in schools and infections in social groups that have not been exposed to the virus before, and may have done better work, now they are being exposed to the virus and they are getting infected,” he continues. “The infection is changing its contours in terms of who is currently being affected by it.”
As coronavirus cases increase in 27 states and the District of Columbia, public health officials are urging Americans to remain vigilant with the following mitigation measures. But because the rate of vaccination continues to accelerate – 4 million doses were administered on Friday alone – and about 130 million Americans who have already contracted COVID-19, Gottlieb said the level of immunity in the U.S. should ward off a fourth wave of the pandemic.
As of Saturday, more than 104 million Americans have received at least one dose of their coronavirus vaccine, while 59.8 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“You have about 200 million Americans with some immunity,” he said. “I think there’s enough immunity in the population that you are not going to see a real fourth wave of infection.”
While more young people are becoming infected with COVID-19, Gottlieb said he does not believe schools should close their doors to personal learning, but that it should be safer to curb the spread of the virus.
“I think we need to stick to strict mitigation in schools, the schools that use masks, schools that can implement some form of distance, as one epidemiologist referred to this week, go to the ‘full Harry Potter’ and try students. within defined social groups so that they do not mix in large groups, ‘he said. “If you take these measures in schools, I think the schools can be made safer, and I think the benefits of schooling outweigh the risks. But we need to be aware of the fact that schools are a risk factor, children are vulnerable to the infection and that schools can become the focal points for community dispersal if we are not careful. ‘
Coronavirus vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been approved for adults 18 and older, while Pfizer’s vaccine has been approved for people as young as 16 years old. But Pfizer and Moderna tested their vaccines in children 12 and older and began clinical trial shots in young children.
Pfizer announced last week in a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers between the ages of 12 and 15 that the vaccine is safe and 100% effective. Gottlieb is a member of Pfizer’s board.
Vaccinating children will be crucial in reopening schools and helping the United States achieve herd immunity. Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, said on Friday that he believed there could be enough information to safely vaccinate children of any age by the end of the year.
Gottlieb said he believes the FDA may approve Pfizer’s emergency vaccination for children between the ages of 12 and 15 in time to make it available before the start of the school year, but warned that it could take longer before children under 12 years of age are approved. get their shots.
“I do think we will be able to vaccinate 12 and above before the fall,” he said. “I think younger than that can take more time because you want to test many different doses to try to find the lowest possible dose that still provides a robust immune response to children.”
Although public health officials warn Americans not to draw up guidelines for the increase in coronavirus infections, families continue to travel for the spring break, and the Transportation Safety Administration has reported an increase in airport screenings.
Gottlieb encouraged health officials to provide guidance that the public will largely follow, but said it is important that they be careful.
“You do not want to be so out of step with the aspirations and where the public is and what the public is ultimately going to do that the guidance is simply ignored. You have to give the guidance in the context of what the public’s willing to do, he said.
Nevertheless, Gottlieb emphasized that the US remains in a ‘high prevalence environment’ with new coronavirus variants in circulation.
“We do not want to be in a position where we are expanding the epidemic because we were not wise about the steps we are taking now,” he said. “That being said, people feel that there are generally fewer risks. As people are vaccinated, they feel that they are at less risk, and that’s based on vaccination. And that’s why they are willing to start doing things. that they have to postpone a full year. That’s why we need to realize that, and I think the guidelines need to be issued in a way that people can adjust their aspirations, that is, that they want to see family again. They want to start socializing. start traveling a bit. ‘