Stressed that ‘optimum’ protection includes a booster shot
Dr. Anthony Fauci is proposing making changes to how Covid-19 mandates are branded and adjusting the definition of being fully vaccinated.
Background: The recent discovery of the omicron variant has renewed conversations around what now constitutes being fully vaccinated now that boosters have been made widely available.
The current definition of being fully vaccinated means a person has received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one-shot from Johnson & Johnson.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, governors and lawmakers have enacted a series of mandates aimed to help slow the spread of the virus. The mandates have often been followed by harsh criticism and pushback.
What Happened: During an interview, Dr. Fauci said that he’s given thought to adjust what is considered full vaccination against Covid-19.
“It is a bit of semantics in that fully vaccinated for the purpose of the regulations and requirements that people have is to be what are you considered as being fully vaccinated.” Fauci said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “But there’s no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster. I mean, there is no doubt about that.” (per Fox News)
The health expert also noted that would like to change the term “mandate” to “requirement” because the term is more palatable.
“’Mandates’ — that’s a radioactive word. ‘Requirements’ people seem to respond better to that. They work,” Fauci argued. “We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated.” (per Fox News)