Washington – Dr Scott Gottlieb, who once headed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said on Sunday that COVID-19 vaccines “should be a backstop” against a new variant of coronavirus detected in the UK, which has now been identified in the UK. United States.
“The good news with B.1.1.7, if there’s any good news, is that as we vaccinate more people, it should be a backstop against the continued spread of this variant,” Gottlieb said of the British strain in a interview with “Make the Nation”.
New variants of coronavirus have been identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil and are now circulating globally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The British variant, B.1.1.7., Was reported in 30 states, while the South African variant, B.1.351, and the Brazilian variant, P.1, were reported in South Carolina and, respectively, in Minnesota.
Gottlieb said there is evidence to suggest that the strain of the UK causes more severe disease and is about 50% more communicable, but noted that data from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine studies, which both develop the vaccine against coronavirus, shows immunization and previous infection appears to be protective against the variant.
“Previous immunity and vaccines appear to be just as effective against this new variant,” he said. “So as we immunize more people and if people continue to wear masks and be vigilant in these parts of the country, we can keep this at bay. It’s not too late, but it’s a real risk for those parts of the country right now. “
Gottlieb predicted that there could be booster photos to protect against the fall variants and said the FDA is working on a regulatory framework to allow licensing of vaccine stimulants.
“I think this framework will be drawn and companies have said they are already working on these new boosters. We could have them in time for the fall for all these vaccines. There is no reason why we can’t do that,” he said.
Gottlieb said a national epidemic with B.1.1.7 is unlikely in spring and summer, although autumn poses a risk. Instead, he predicted that there would be regionalized epidemics, with California and South Florida being the current hot spots. According to the CDC, there are 113 reported cases of the British variant in California and 125 cases reported in Florida.
“These cities need to be very aware of the spread of these variants,” he said.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 26 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and nearly 440,000 deaths. But the Biden administration warns that the death toll will exceed 500,000 and predicts another 90,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 in the next four weeks.
However, hospitalizations and the spread of COVID-19 appear to be declining.
Gottlieb said the nation has “the potential to turn a corner”, but acknowledged that the new options create risks.
“Things are clearly improving across the country,” he said. “We can’t get our feet on the brakes too quickly when it comes to things people do, such as wearing masks and being more vigilant. This is likely to lower infection rates across the country right now.”