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COVID-19 in the U.S.: FDA experts “don’t see the need [for boosters] right now”

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Coronavirus cases in the US have increased by half in last two weeks, but experts claim there is still ‘no evidence’ that booster shots are required for most Americans — despite a Moderna executive today said that more jabs will be required by fall.

According to data from states, counties, and local health agencies, a total of 69,334 cases were reported yesterday, up from the mid-April figure.

The increase is being fueled by the far more infectious Omicron variant BA.2.12.1, which is currently responsible for two out of every five infections in the United States, up from less than one out of every ten a month ago.

Despite the growth, US scientists, including Dr. Paul Offit, a member of a senior vaccinations advisory body said that they ‘just don’t see the need’ for Americans under 50 to have a booster shot.

Moderna’s CEO Steve Bancel, on the other hand, stated today that ‘educated people realize there is waning immunity’ and that boosters will be required by the fall.

The vaccine developer is currently working on an Omicron-specific vaccination, which they hope to have available by September. Pfizer previously stated that it will have a vaccine against the variant by March, but that date has been pushed back.

Covid deaths are also on the upswing, with 664 deaths reported yesterday, up 54 percent in two weeks. The United States is currently averaging around 380 per day, which isn’t much more than it was in mid-April, when 440 were recorded per 24 hours.

The number of patients in hospitals with the condition has also increased 18 percent in two weeks to 17,532, however this figure includes many who are not gravely ill.

Only about half of the states are now reporting cases, hospitalizations, and deaths weekly rather than daily, making it impossible to trace the outbreak across the country.

However, data show that cases are steadily rising as a result of the spread of the more contagious Omicron subvariant, which has now reached every corner of the United States.

Hospitalizations and deaths are also on the rise, although experts believe this is because to an increase in Covid in the community, which has resulted in more people testing positive for the condition after being admitted for a different reason, such as a fall. There’s no proof that the variant causes more serious disease than the original.

Only four states — Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Washington — are seeing a decrease in Covid cases when compared to two weeks ago.

Missouri (up 186 percent in a week), Indiana (up 149 percent), and Hawaii (up 146 percent) are the states with the most cases.

However, scientists today urged caution in the wake of the outbreak, claiming that there was no proof that booster doses were required to boost immunity in persons aged 50 and younger.

Dr. Offit, who is a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) vaccine advisory council, told DailyMail.com:

“Right now it looks like protection against serious illness for the most part [among under-50s] is holding up.

“If the goal was to protect against mild illness, then you are talking about giving frequent boosters.

“But the only reasonable goal is to protect against serious disease.”

He further added: “I just don’t see the need [for boosters] right now.”

Dr. Monica Ghandi of the University of California, San Francisco, agreed, saying there was no evidence that most Americans needed booster doses yet.

“We should not need yearly boosters for Covid,” said Dr. Ghandi, who previously refused to get her 12- and 14-year-old kids their first booster.

“Most likely, those who are vulnerable (older, immunocompromised) may need a yearly shot to increase their antibodies, but this should not be true of the majority of the population.

“There is no evidence that the majority of the population will [need more vaccines].”

Most people, she claimed, will be able to rely on cellular immunity, or B-cells, to protect them from serious sickness caused by Covid and other types.

“Antibody-producing B-cells have been shown to recognize the virus, including its variants, she added.

“Although we do not know how long these memory B cells will last, survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic were able to produce antibodies from memory B cells when their blood was exposed to the same strain nine decades later.”

Everyone over the age of 12 in the United States is currently eligible for first boosters, while those over 50 are eligible for second boosters.

However, only 49.5 percent of those eligible have come forward for their top-up dosages, according to government figures. It is lowest among 12 to 17-year-olds, with only a quarter receiving an increase.

Image Credit: Getty

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