US Experiences Rise In Deaths And Cases Of COVID-19 Infection, Experts Say At-Risk Society Needs Booster Doses

JAKARTA - United States (US) authorities are preparing to give booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for people whose immune systems are compromised due to the surge in cases of coronavirus infection, said US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci.

The United States has joined Germany, France and Israel in delivering the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring a request by the World Health Organization (WHO) to delay it until more people around the world can get the first dose.

US regulators will need to fully certify COVID-19 vaccines or change their emergency use authorization, before officials can recommend additional injections. However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked to make a third dose available more quickly under certain circumstances, at a meeting last July.

"It's very important for us to move to reach people with impaired immunity immediately, so that they get a (third dose) booster," Fauci said in a press statement, adding people with impaired immunity may not be adequately protected by the COVID-19 vaccination. there is currently, citing Reuters Friday 6 August.

Fauci said the increase in cases due to the spread of the infectious Delta variant in the United States could be reversed with additional vaccinations or a third dose.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's Administration is eager to dilute opposition by Americans, including those who don't trust the government, to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as the highly contagious Delta variant sweeps the country.

The seven US states with the lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination accounted for half of the country's new cases and hospitalizations last week, the White House said in its announcement Thursday.

Those states are Florida, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, according to President Joe Biden's COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients. Of these, Florida and Texas account for about a third of the new coronavirus cases and a higher share of hospitalizations in the country.

Meanwhile, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said COVID-19 cases were up about 43 percent from the previous week and daily deaths were up more than 39 percent. The United States hit a six-month high for new COVID-19 cases with more than 100,000 infections reported on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally. The White House said about 864,000 vaccinations had been administered in the past 24 hours, the highest since early July.

"To that end, President Joe Biden's Administration supports US businesses and other institutions that require their employees to be vaccinated," Zients said.

He added that the White House is considering requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated as plans to reopen international travel, although no final decision has been made on these plans.