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 coronavirus variant discovered in the UK and now identified in the US. States.
“The good news with B.1.1.7, if there is any good news, is that if we vaccinate a larger proportion of the population, it should be a backstop against the continued spread of that variant,” Gottlieb said of the British strain. in an interview. with “Face the Nation.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new coronavirus variants have been identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil and are now circulating worldwide. The UK variant, B.1.1.7., Has been reported in 30 states, while the South African variant, B.1.351, and the Brazilian variant, P.1, have been reported in South Carolina and Minnesota, respectively.
Gottlieb said there is some evidence that the British strain causes more serious diseases and is roughly 50% more communicable, but he noted that data from COVID-19 vaccine studies from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax, both developing a coronavirus vaccine, have immunization and previous infection. appears to be protective against the variant.
“Previous immunity and the vaccines appear to be equally effective against this new variant,” he said. So as we immunize more of the population and if people continue to wear masks and stay vigilant in these parts of the country, we can keep this at bay. It’s not too late, but it’s a real risk to those regions of the country. . now.”
Gottlieb predicted there could be booster shots to protect against the variants for fall and said the FDA is working on a regulatory framework to license the vaccine boosters.
“I think that framework will be mapped out and the companies have said they are already working on those new boosters. We could have them in time for the fall of all these vaccines. There’s no reason we can’t do that. , ” he said.
Gottlieb said there is unlikely to be a national epidemic with B.1.1.7 in the spring and summer, although fall is a risk. Instead, he predicted there will be regional epidemics, with California and South Florida as current hot spots. According to the CDC, there have been 113 reported cases of the British variant in California and 125 reported cases in Florida.
“Those cities should pay close attention to the spread of these variants,” he said.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 26 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and nearly 440,000 deaths. But the Biden administration warns that the death toll will exceed 500,000 and that an additional 90,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 in the next four weeks.
Still, hospital admissions and the spread of COVID-19 seem to be declining.
Gottlieb said the nation “has the potential to turn a corner,” but acknowledged that the new variants carry risks.
“Things are clearly improving across the country,” he said. “We can’t take our foot off the brakes too soon when it comes to the things people do, like wear masks and be more vigilant. That’s probably why infections are declining across the country right now.”