The top U.S. infectious disease expert on Sunday urged millions of Americans who already are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to get booster shots \u201cto optimize their status.\u201d<\/P>
To date, 34.5 million of the 196 million fully vaccinated people in the United States have received booster shots, according to the government\u2019s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even as about 60 million people remain unvaccinated against the illness caused by the coronavirus.<\/P>
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and President Joe Biden\u2019s top medical adviser, told ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week\u201d show, \u201cThere is no lack of clarity\u201d about the need for the booster shots because of the waning effectiveness of their first vaccination shots over time.<\/P>
He said the boosters give people \u201cgreater durability,\u201d although it is not clear whether those who have been vaccinated might continue to need booster shots every six months or a year in the future.<\/P>
\u201cWe\u2019re going to look at what it means to be boosted, follow the science, follow the data,\u201d Fauci told CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union\u201d show in a separate interview.<\/P>
A CDC advisory panel Friday voted unanimously to make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots available to those 18 and older.<\/P>
The number of new cases is on the upswing again in the U.S., with more than 90,000 new cases recorded daily in recent days. Fauci said the increase was not unexpected as temperatures turn colder heading into the winter months and more people are confined inside their homes.<\/P>
But he said that fully vaccinated families and friends can safely get together for annual Thanksgiving Day dinner celebrations this Thursday and not have to wear face masks.<\/P>
\u201cYou can enjoy a happy Thanksgiving this year,\u201d he said. \u201cEnjoy your holiday season with your family.\u201d<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
Source: Voice Of America<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The top U.S. infectious disease expert on Sunday urged millions of Americans who already are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to get booster shots \u201cto optimize their status.\u201dTo date, 34.5 million of the 196 million fully vaccinated people in the Unite…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n