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 states, but he does not believe there will be a “real” fourth wave of the pandemic. .
“What we are seeing are pockets of infection across the country, especially in young people who have not been vaccinated and also in school children,” Gottlieb said in an interview with “Face the Nation”, noting the increase in cases among children of age in Michigan, Minnesota and Massachusetts.
“You are seeing outbreaks in schools and infections in social groups that have not been exposed to the virus before, maybe they were doing a better job of protection, now they are out and about to be exposed to the virus and are being infected,” he continued . “The infection is changing its shape in terms of who is being hit by it now.”
With the increase in coronavirus cases in 27 states and the District of Columbia, public health officials are asking Americans to remain vigilant when following mitigation measures. But as the vaccination rate continues to accelerate – 4 million doses were administered on Friday alone – and about 130 million Americans have already contracted COVID-19, Gottlieb said the level of immunity in the U.S. should prevent a fourth wave of pandemic.
On Saturday, more than 104 million Americans received at least one dose of their coronavirus vaccine, while 59.8 million Americans are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“You have something like 200 million Americans who already have some level of immunity,” he said. “I think there is enough immunity in the population that you don’t see a real fourth wave of infection.”
While more young people are being infected with COVID-19, Gottlieb said he does not believe schools should close their doors to personal learning, but instead, they should become safer to combat the spread of the virus.
“I think we need to stick to strict mitigation in schools, in schools that wear masks, in schools that can implement some sort of detachment, as an epidemiologist said this week, go to ‘Harry Potter complete’ and try to keep students within cohorts socially defined so that they don’t mix into large groups, “he said.” If you’re taking these steps in schools, I think schools can become safer, and I think the benefits of being in school outweigh the risks. But we need to be aware of the fact that schools are a risk factor, children are vulnerable to infection and schools can become focal points for the spread of the community if we are not careful. “
The coronavirus vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are authorized for adults aged 18 and over, while the Pfizer vaccine is approved for people aged 16 and over. But Pfizer and Moderna have been testing their vaccines on children 12 and older and are starting clinical trials of their shots on young children.
Pfizer announced last week in a study of 2,260 American volunteers between 12 and 15 years of age that their vaccine was found to be safe and demonstrated 100% effectiveness. Gottlieb is a member of the board of directors of Pfizer.
Vaccination of children will be crucial to reopening schools and helping the United States achieve collective immunity, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Biden, said on Friday that he believes there may be enough information to vaccinate safely children of any age by the end of the year.
Gottlieb said he believed the FDA could authorize the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use for children between 12 and 15 years of age in time to have it available before the start of the school year, but warned that it may take longer before children under 12 years are approved to get your shots.
“I think we will be in a position to vaccinate 12 years or more before the fall,” he said. “I think younger than that may take longer, because you will want to test several different doses to try to find the lowest possible dose that is still providing a robust immune response for children.”
Even though public health officials are warning Americans not to resist the guidelines with increasing coronavirus infections, families continue to travel for the spring break holiday, and the Transportation Security Administration has reported an increase in exams in airports.
Gottlieb encouraged health officials to issue guidelines that the public will largely follow, but said it is important that they demand caution.
“You don’t want to be so out of step with aspirations and where the audience is and what the audience is going to engage with, that the guidance is ignored. You must issue the guidance in the context of what the public is willing to do” , he said.
Still, Gottlieb emphasized that the United States remains in a “high-prevalence environment” with new variants of the coronavirus circulating.
“We don’t want to be in a position where we will extend the epidemic because we were not cautious about the measures we are taking now,” he said. “That said, people are feeling that there is less risk in general. As people get vaccinated, they feel that they are less at risk and are, based on vaccination. And therefore, they are willing to start getting involved in things. that they postponed for a whole year. So, we need to recognize that and I think that issuing guidance in a way that people can conform to their aspirations, which is that they want to see the family again. They want to start socializing. They want start traveling a little bit. “