NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday the Pfizer coronavirus booster shot may be ready by the date the administration has aimed for, while Moderna’s will likely need more time for approval.
The backdrop: President Biden said last month the government will offer boosters beginning the week of Sept. 20 to adults who got their shots of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna at least eight months prior.
What he’s saying: “We were hoping that we would get the, both the candidates, both products, Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out by the week of the 20th,” Fauci said. “It is conceivable that we will only have one of them out, but the other would likely follow soon thereafter.”
Fauci added that the delay is because the administration wants to get “the appropriate FDA regulatory approval and then the recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.”
“Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline,” he said. “We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it, so we could do it simultaneously, but if not, we’ll do it sequentially.”
“So the bottom line is very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.”
Driving the news: Health officials have warned that the administration would have to scale back plans to unveil the third dose by that date to allow for more time to collect and review data for the Moderna booster.
Of note: “It looks good,” Fauci said when asked about the data that officials are still seeking from Moderna. “I think it is going to be at the most, a couple of weeks’ to a few weeks’ delay, if any.”