Former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Thursday that Covid booster vaccinations could become a reality for certain segments of the population. Gottlieb made the prediction, following the news, that a panel of expert advisors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to consider booster vaccinations for immunocompromised patients.
“I think the bottom line is that we will strengthen part of the population,” Gottlieb told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith”. “I think it’s something we need to do to consider boosters, especially among the older, more vulnerable populations.”
Gottlieb noted that Israel already offers booster shots to adults with severe pre-existing conditions and that France and the UK are planning to give booster shots. The former FDA chief in the Trump administration also cited data from Israel showing that the shelf life of Covid vaccines does not last as long as researchers would have expected from the start.
“I think we will achieve our goal in terms of boosters, especially for the older population, who were vaccinated in December and January,” said Gottlieb. “You might get a very permanent reaction after the third dose.”
Host Shepard Smith also asked Gottlieb about the reintroduction of mask mandates across the country as a result of the highly transferable Delta variant. Los Angeles County issued a new mask mandate on Thursday that requires residents to wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status.
Gottlieb told Smith that he believed Los Angeles was the exception and advised individuals to take masking measures into their own hands.
“I think individuals in these hot spots across the country who are at risk need to take action and take precautions if they think they are at risk, as it is widespread in states that have already done so takes place affirmed that they will not return to mandates, “said Gottlieb.
Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC employee and a member of the board of directors of Pfizer, genetic testing startup Tempus, health technology company Aetion Inc., and biotechnology company Illumina.
