Surgeon general tells ABC News: U.S. must vaccinate Americans, rest of world to end pandemic
On what Americans need to know about vaccine booster shots, Surgeon General @vivek_murthy tells @martharaddatz: "We are recommending that people start to get boosters the week of Sept. 20th." https://t.co/KPxo9Of7kf pic.twitter.com/oftQMtRoZM
— ABC News (@ABC) August 22, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC -- Amid criticism from the World Health Organization and others that the U.S. should not offer booster shots to Americans while many countries lag in vaccine access, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy defended the Biden administration's plans to begin rolling out booster shots for many Americans the week of Sept. 20.
"We have to protect American lives and we have to help vaccinate the world because that is the only way this pandemic ends," Murthy said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
Murthy conceded that -- assuming vaccine supply does not change -- "taking more vaccines for Americans in the form of boosters will take away from the rest of the world," but said the focus has been on increasing the supply and pointed to the U.S. donation of more than 120 million vaccine doses to other countries and its 500-million-dose commitment.
The Food and Drug Administration is pushing to issue full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, further expediting an earlier timeline for licensing the shot, according to the New York Times.
Murthy said he "wouldn't be surprised" if the FDA issues full approval of the Pfizer vaccine and that approval may convince some individuals on the fence about vaccination to get the shot.
The U.S. recorded its highest daily Covid-19 case count in nearly seven months on Friday, with just under 158,000 new cases reported.
Amid the surge, U.S. vaccination rates have also increased. White House Covid-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar said Saturday marked the third day in a row that the U.S. has administered more than 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses. The White House announced on Friday that at least 200 million Americans have been vaccinated with at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose.
.@martharaddatz: "And we know that taking three shots is safe?"
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 22, 2021
Surgeon General Murthy: "Safety is absolutely essential in this process and we would not execute a plan if the FDA did not weigh in and say that that third shot was in fact safe." https://t.co/Xjhg3n0pvT pic.twitter.com/WiLHgks405
On booster shot guidance for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Surgeon General @vivek_murthy says: "We anticipate the people who received J&J will likely need a booster as well." https://t.co/Xjhg3n0pvT pic.twitter.com/Zgq25Mxc3B
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 22, 2021
