‘We Will Not Boost Our Way Out Of This Pandemic,’ CDC Director Says As 70 Million Eligible Americans Remain Unvaccinated

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(CNN) — Three-quarters of eligible Americans person received astatine slightest 1 dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and immoderate are present capable to person an further booster shot. But the microorganism inactive poses a large menace to much than 70 cardinal eligible radical who stay unvaccinated.

“The astir susceptible are those unvaccinated,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the manager of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday.

The CDC connected Friday approved a 3rd changeable of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to an expanded radical of Americans.

“Starting today, if you are six months retired from your past dose of the Pfizer vaccine, you are eligible for a booster if you autumn into 1 of 3 high-risk groups,” US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said during a briefing.

“Number one: You are 65 oregon older. Number two: You person a aesculapian information that puts you astatine precocious hazard of terrible unwellness with Covid and these conditions see obesity, diabetes, precocious humor pressure, chronic kidney illness and others. And Number three: You enactment oregon unrecorded successful a mounting wherever you are astatine precocious hazard of vulnerability to Covid. This includes wellness attraction workers, teachers, those surviving successful shelters oregon prisons and market store workers,” Murthy said.

Boosters person not yet been endorsed for the 2 different vaccines offered successful the US — those from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Health officials are moving to find adjacent steps for recipients of those vaccines.

The Food and Drug Administration “is moving with Moderna and J&J to get and process their information arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable with the extremity of making booster recommendations for Moderna and J&J recipients successful the coming weeks,” Murthy said.

Walensky acknowledged that adjacent with much Americans becoming eligible for Pfizer boosters, the state indispensable ramp up archetypal vaccination numbers for the pandemic to subside.

“I privation to beryllium clear: We volition not boost our mode retired of this pandemic,” she said Friday.

The US has afloat vaccinated much than 55% of each residents arsenic of Friday, CDC data shows, portion 75% of the vaccine-eligible received astatine slightest 1 dose of inoculation.

A caller CNN investigation showed the mean complaint of Covid-19 deaths successful the 10 slightest vaccinated states was much than 4 times higher implicit the past week than the complaint successful the 10 astir vaccinated states.

CDC vaccine advisers had recommended that Pfizer booster shots should beryllium made disposable for radical implicit 65 and those with wellness risks — stopping abbreviated of expanding that threshold to see those who whitethorn beryllium disproportionally exposed to the microorganism astatine their jobs. But Walensky moved to relationship for the occupational vulnerability radical successful her guidance.

“Some radical truly voted … with enthusiasm to accidental our wellness attraction workers, our frontline workers, radical who were vaccinated early, radical who enactment successful congregate settings, successful correctional facilities, market workers, truly bash merit the vaccine,” Walensky told CNN’s Erin Burnett connected Friday. “The question wasn’t ‘yes oregon no,’ the question was ‘wait oregon bash now,'” she added.

Ultimately, the determination for boosters was astir “providing alternatively than withholding access” and the request to support nine arsenic a whole, Walensky said.

Pfizer boosters are acceptable now

The boosters are already available, with CVS Health announcing Friday that astir 6,000 of its locations started offering appointments for a 3rd dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Those who take to spell for the booster changeable volition beryllium asked to “self-attest to their eligibility” outlined by nationalist wellness officials, CVS said. They besides indispensable beryllium recipients of Pfizer’s archetypal 2 doses.

In California, Los Angeles County connected Friday besides began offering the booster shots to its residents who amusement impervious of vaccination and affirm their eligibility, the county’s nationalist wellness section said successful a quality release.

Many schools closed owed to Covid-19 outbreaks, survey finds

The headaches facing schoolhouse officials and parents were underlined successful a survey released Friday connected the interaction truthful acold of the pandemic connected in-person learning.

About 1,800 schools closed betwixt August 1 and September 17 due to the fact that Covid-19 cases were detected, which affected the acquisition and well-being of 933,000 students, according to the CDC study.

Nearly 60,000 teachers successful 44 states were besides affected by closures, and the fig of closures was highest successful the South, the survey found.

Examining information from 8,700 districts nationwide, the CDC survey recovered that “the largest fig of districts with afloat distant learning (14) were successful the West Census Region, followed by the South (11). Seven Midwest and 2 Northeast districts offered afloat distant learning.”

The survey noted that the timing of instrumentality to schoolhouse whitethorn beryllium a origin successful schoolhouse closures due to the fact that the schools successful the South returned earlier successful August than different parts of the country– which typically commencement successful precocious August oregon aboriginal September.

Covid-19 outbreaks forced 300 Tennessee schools to close, the survey shows, noting that was the astir successful the nation– followed by Georgia, Kentucky, Texas and South Carolina.

The CDC recommends that radical successful schools deterioration masks adjacent if they’re vaccinated arsenic good arsenic surface investigating and carnal distancing to mitigate the dispersed of Covid-19.

New York prepares for infirmary staffing shortages up of Monday vaccine deadline

New York authorities is bracing for imaginable staffing shortages astatine hospitals and semipermanent attraction facilities up of a Monday deadline for workers determination to get at slightest 1 dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The authorities wellness section issued the deadline successful mid-August.

As of Wednesday, 84% of each infirmary employees successful the authorities had been afloat vaccinated, on with 81% of unit astatine each big attraction facilities and 77% of each unit astatine nursing location facilities.

Percentages for those who had astatine slightest 1 dose were not instantly available.

On Saturday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a program to code immoderate staffing shortages that effect from the deadline. She said she was prepared to motion an enforcement order, if necessary, that would let wellness attraction professionals licensed successful different states oregon countries, caller graduates, and retired professionals to signifier successful the state.

Other options, Hochul said, see deployment of medically trained National Guard members and partnering with the national authorities to deploy catastrophe aesculapian assistance teams to assist.

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