“So far, we haven’t seen many warrants against the Covid vaccine, not even for teens,” Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccinologist and dean of the Baylor National School of Tropical Medicine, told CNN’s Ana Cabrera. College of Medicine. “It will have to happen if we get the kids to go through the school year.”
“The only reason we’re keeping this lifeboat together is that I have a federal disaster medical assistance team here, 14 people who have just become heroes for us. And unfortunately, its deployment is over. Friday, “said Dr. William Melahn, the chief physician of St. Claire Health Care in Kentucky told Kate Bolduan of CNN on Monday. “I’m going to lose 14 health professionals and I literally have no idea what we’re going to do on Friday.”
Vaccines are the strongest form of protection against the virus, but only Americans 12 years of age or older are eligible. But studies on vaccines for younger children are underway and the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said younger children will be vaccinated by the end of the year.
“We’re waiting for companies to submit the data to the FDA; we anticipate that this will happen in the fall,” he told NBC’s Today Show.
Until vaccines are available for younger children, health agencies have promoted the use of masking, testing, ventilation and distancing to protect children. And those measures will likely have to stay in place until there is a combination of high vaccination rates and low disease spread rates, Walensky said.
Local leaders disagree with the mandates
There has already been tension in several states over mandates for both vaccines and masking.
Despite restrictions by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on who can demand vaccination, the San Antonio Independent School District has demanded vaccination of district employees against the virus.
And on Monday, state Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the district and Superintendent Pedro Martinez for the warrant
“The decision to openly violate state law and devote district resources to defending Superintendent Martinez’s illegal actions is irresponsible,” Paxton said in a press release. “But if school districts decide to use their limited funding to try to avoid breaking the law, my office will oppose them and defend the rule of law in Texas.”
Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that companies with more than 100 employees must force their workforce to get vaccinated or tested regularly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said that cities and counties Florida requiring employees to have the Covid-19 vaccine will face $ 5,000 fines.
The mayor of Orange County, Florida, said that while the consequences could be costly, the county will not overlook the well-being of its community.
“It could be a lot of money. There’s no doubt about it,” Mayor Jerry Demings told a news conference in reference to the fines. “After all, our goal is to protect the largest group of people in our community, to keep them safe. That is the fundamental role of government.”
In Iowa, a federal judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order that, for now, will allow state districts to impose masks on classrooms.
In response, Gov. Kim Reynolds – who signed a law in May banning local authorities and school districts from issuing their own mask warrants – said the state would appeal.
“Today, a federal judge has unilaterally overturned a state law, ignored the decision of our elected legislature, and removed the ability of parents to decide what is best for their child,” Reynolds said.
Debate on booster doses
There is also a debate about the need and timing of vaccine booster doses.
The Biden administration had announced plans to launch a third dose as early as next week, pending FDA approval, but some experts say it is not yet necessary.
On Monday, an international group of scientists on vaccines, including some from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, published an article in The Lancet that said current evidence does not appear to give support for the need for reinforcements in public law in general. now.
The authors of the paper include two leading FDA vaccine leaders, Dr. Philip Krause and Marion Gruber, who will leave in October and November, the FDA announced late last month.
Hotez, meanwhile, said he has seen evidence that promoters can “keep people out of the hospital, prevent long covid … and restore asymptomatic transmissions that interrupt.”
“From Israel’s data, I come out strongly in favor of the drivers,” Hotez said.
The FDA is scheduled to meet on the boosters on Friday, though the agency has been late in receiving data from the agency’s group of external vaccine experts, two sources told CNN.
An FDA spokesman told CNN that committee members will receive materials before the meeting.
“Our vaccination team works 24 hours a day on many priorities, including preparing for Friday’s VRBPAC meeting,” Stephanie Caccomo said.
CNN’s Jen Christensen, Virginia Langmaid, Raja Razek, Amir Vera, Lauren Clabby Moore, Leyla Santiago, Amy Simonson, and Laine Mackey contributed to this report.