Tag: Vaccine

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Health

Dr. Gottlieb says places of work with vaccine mandates do not want extra precautions

Dr. Scott Gottlieb expects little impact on U.S. Covid cases

Companies that require office workers to get Covid vaccinations are unlikely to need to take additional precautions against the virus even as the Delta variant spikes, Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Thursday.

“I think companies probably don’t need to take any additional measures right now,” such as: B. regulated virus tests, Gottlieb told co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin in “Squawk Box”.

“The belief is that people who are vaccinated and develop the infection can be contagious early in the course of the infection, but clear the infection faster,” added Gottlieb, who was Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019 Board member at several companies, including vaccine maker Pfizer.

Gottlieb pointed to real evidence in Israel showing that “people who get vaccinated and become infected spread within the household but not outside the household.”

Vaccinated people still need to be vigilant about the virus and get tested if they have a viral illness, he said.

“You can certainly see that infection rates are increasing among the vaccinated population. People who were vaccinated some time ago are more prone to Covid. Eventually, some of these infections will give poor results, ”he said.

The number of companies requiring their employees to vaccinate has increased in recent days, with McDonald’s being the latest corporate giant to put such a policy in place on Wednesday. The vaccination edict of the fast food chain applies to the company’s workforce.

Gottlieb said he expected more companies to follow suit, especially those that want employees to return to the office after more than a year of remote work in the fall. He cited the government’s vaccination requirement for U.S. military personnel and federal employees – as well as the potential full FDA approval of Covid vaccines – as “an added boost to businesses” that will “give them confidence that they have the legal basis to do so” stand in relation to compulsory vaccination. “

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, and biotechnology company Illumina. He is also co-chair of the Healthy Sail Panel of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean.

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Health

Fauci says all people will seemingly want third vaccine

Fauci says everybody will likely need third vaccine

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 20, 2021.

Stefani Reynolds | Reutesr

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday everybody will someday “likely” need a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccines.

“We’re already starting to see indications of some diminution” in the durability of the vaccines, Fauci told “CBS This Morning.”

However, he said it’s not likely that they will be widely administered any time soon. The priority, Fauci said, is to give boosters to people who have compromised immune systems, including those with cancer and transplanted organs.

“We don’t feel at this particular point that, apart from the immune-compromised, we don’t feel we need to give boosters right now,” he said.

Fauci’s comments come the same day the Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize third Covid shot for people with weakened immune systems, a highly anticipated move intended to shield some of the most vulnerable Americans from the highly contagious delta variant.

Such people, including cancer and HIV patients, represent only about 2.7% of the U.S. adult population but make up about 44% of hospitalized Covid breakthrough cases, which is when a fully vaccinated individual becomes infected, according to recent data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory group.

Studies suggest that a third vaccine shot might help patients whose immune systems don’t respond as well to a first or second dose.

Covid vaccine makers, including Pfizer and Moderna, have repeatedly argued that everyone will eventually need a booster shot and potentially extra doses every year, just like for the seasonal flu. Pfizer has said it plans to ask the FDA to authorize boosters as it sees signs of waning immunity.

The U.S. drugmaker has cited data out of Israel, where officials are reporting the two-dose vaccine is now just 39% effective in the country. The vaccine is still highly effective against severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths, according to Israeli health officials.

The CDC does not currently recommend booster doses of the vaccines for otherwise healthy people at this time. But Fauci, speaking Thursday on NBC’s “TODAY,” said “inevitably there will be a time when we’ll have to get boosts.”

“No vaccine, at least not within this category, is going to have an indefinite amount of protection,” he said.

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Health

CDC panel prepares to vote on Covid vaccine booster pictures for weak People

CDC panel prepares to vote on Covid vaccine booster shots for vulnerable Americans

Marilyn Lurie, who suffers from frontotemporal dementia, is being monitored in the back yard of her home by elderly caregiver Olga Lopez after receiving her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as part of a mobile vaccination program on July 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images

A key advisory group from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to vote on Friday on distributing Covid-19 vaccine booster shots to Americans with compromised immune systems.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is due to meet on Friday to consider Covid booster vaccinations for such people, including cancer and HIV patients. On Thursday, the CDC updated their website to indicate that a vote is scheduled for the meeting on Friday around 1 p.m. ET.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve a third Covid vaccination for immunocompromised populations on Thursday, a highly anticipated move designed to protect some of the most vulnerable Americans from the highly contagious Delta variant.

However, the FDA’s OK is not the final go-ahead. The CDC Advisory Committee must then make a recommendation on how to distribute the booster shots. If the CDC accepts the advisory group’s recommendation as expected, third shots could begin immediately.

Immunocompromised populations would be the first group in the US to receive a booster vaccination. Federal health officials are not currently recommending additional doses for the general public.

People with compromised immune systems make up only about 2.7% of the adult US population. Still, they account for around 44% of hospitalized breakthrough Covid cases, according to recent data from the CDC group. A breakthrough case is infection in a fully vaccinated person.

The Senior Medical Advisor to the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that new data suggests that immunocompromised people are not generating an adequate immune response after receiving two doses of a Covid vaccine.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the FDA has worked closely with Pfizer and Moderna to give these vulnerable groups the opportunity to receive booster vaccinations.

“An extra dose could help increase protection for these people, which is especially important as the Delta variant is spreading,” she said during a Covid briefing at the White House. “This action is about ensuring that our most vulnerable, who may need an extra dose to improve their biological responses to the vaccines, are better protected from Covid-19.”

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Covid breakthrough danger could also be a lot decrease with Moderna vaccine than Pfizer

Covid breakthrough risk may be much lower with Moderna vaccine than Pfizer

On this illustration from 19.

Given Ruvic | Reuters

The risk of developing a breakthrough COVID-19 infection with the Delta variant after being fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine may be much lower than that, according to a new study from the Mayo Clinic awaiting a full review Risk to those who received the Pfizer vaccine.

The study found that in July in Florida, where COVID cases have hit an all-time high and the Delta variant is widespread, the risk of a breakthrough in Moderna recipients was 60% lower compared to Pfizer recipients.

Similarly, last month in Minnesota, the authors found that the Moderna vaccine (also known as mRNA-1273) was 76% effective in preventing infection, but the Pfizer vaccine (known as BNT162b2) was 42% effective.

“Comparing infection rates between matched individuals fully vaccinated with mRNA-1273 with BNT162b2 at Mayo Clinic Health System sites in several states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida, and Iowa) found one with mRNA-1273 Twice the risk reduction compared to a breakthrough infection compared to BNT162b2 “, write the authors in their abstract.

The authors found that both vaccines “strongly protect” against serious illnesses; the difference seems to be more whether people become infected at all. The CDC has said that the risk of infection in the unvaccinated is 8 times higher than that of the vaccinated and the risk of hospitalization or death is 25 times higher.

The so-called pre-print study, which was neither peer-reviewed nor published in a scientific journal, was first published on Sunday but received more attention on Wednesday when Axios reported that the Biden administration was using the data as a “wake-up call.” . “

Pfizer told Axios that it and its partner BioNTech “can develop and produce a bespoke vaccine against this variant in about 100 days of a decision, subject to regulatory approval.”

The company confirmed the effectiveness of its vaccines in a subsequent statement, saying it was also determined to develop boosters.

“Pfizer and BioNTech have put in place a robust refresher research program to ensure that our vaccine continues to offer the highest level of protection possible. Initial data from a third dose of the current vaccine shows that a booster dose at least 6 months after the second dose elicits high neutralization titers against the wild-type, beta and delta variants, “Pfizer said in a statement.

Just last week, Moderna warned that breakthrough infections were on the rise, saying those who received his vaccine would likely need a booster shot before winter. And at the end of last month, Pfizer also said that a booster that is already being tested would be effective against the Delta variant.

Data from New Jersey, where Delta now accounts for 90% of all positive COVID samples tested, underscores the key points: Breakthrough infections still make up a very small percentage of new COVID hospital admissions, but that percentage has been increasing significantly in weeks recently.

Fully vaccinated New Jerseyans accounted for 18.5% of all new COVID cases in the July 20-26, said Governor Phil Murphy. More importantly, these cases accounted for 3% of all new hospital admissions.

Murphy cited the data Monday as evidence that vaccines are working, but the fact that as many as 3% of hospitalized COVID patients have been vaccinated is a concern – and with it the direction in which the breakthrough cases are headed to develop.

The proportion of 3% of vaccinated people who were hospitalized with the virus in the period from July 20 to July 26 has increased significantly compared to the proportion of 0.004% in the period up to July 26.

Pfizer accounts for 30% of the more than 10.6 million vaccine doses given in New Jersey to date, while Moderna accounts for about 21%, state data shows.

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Politics

C.D.C. Panel Recommends Third Vaccine Dose for Immunocompromised

C.D.C. Panel Recommends Third Vaccine Dose for Immunocompromised

Dr. Jose U. Scher, a rheumatologist at NYU Langone Health who has studied the effect of vaccines on the immunocompromised, said that the C.D.C. vote — and the guidance from its experts — would help patients who had been agonizing over whether to seek out a third shot. Previously, he said, when people tested themselves for antibodies after vaccination and came up empty, “there were no tools for us to respond to that.”

Updated 

Aug. 13, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET

“We now know that this population was being left behind,” he said.

Immunocompromised people will not need a doctor’s permission or a prescription to get a third shot, C.D.C. officials said. They will need only to attest that they meet the eligibility requirements for an additional dose. Anyone else, including people with chronic medical conditions, like diabetes or asthma, should not be getting third shots at this point, they said.

Dr. Scher predicted that this honor-system approach could be messy. “I don’t know if there’s any way of corroborating someone’s claim” of being immunocompromised, he said. Requiring some kind of proof, such as a doctor’s note, would be a better process, he said.

The updated F.D.A. authorizations do not apply to immunocompromised people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The C.D.C. panel did not offer recommendations on additional shots for that group, which is believed to be small. But the lack of guidance from either the F.D.A. or C.D.C. has left that group in limbo.

Understand the State of Vaccine and Mask Mandates in the U.S.

    • Mask rules. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July recommended that all Americans, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in indoor public places within areas experiencing outbreaks, a reversal of the guidance it offered in May. See where the C.D.C. guidance would apply, and where states have instituted their own mask policies. The battle over masks has become contentious in some states, with some local leaders defying state bans.
    • Vaccine rules . . . and businesses. Private companies are increasingly mandating coronavirus vaccines for employees, with varying approaches. Such mandates are legally allowed and have been upheld in court challenges.
    • College and universities. More than 400 colleges and universities are requiring students to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Almost all are in states that voted for President Biden.
    • Schools. On Aug. 11, California announced that it would require teachers and staff of both public and private schools to be vaccinated or face regular testing, the first state in the nation to do so. A survey released in August found that many American parents of school-age children are opposed to mandated vaccines for students, but were more supportive of mask mandates for students, teachers and staff members who do not have their shots.  
    • Hospitals and medical centers. Many hospitals and major health systems are requiring employees to get a Covid-19 vaccine, citing rising caseloads fueled by the Delta variant and stubbornly low vaccination rates in their communities, even within their work force.
    • New York. On Aug. 3, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York announced that proof of vaccination would be required of workers and customers for indoor dining, gyms, performances and other indoor situations, becoming the first U.S. city to require vaccines for a broad range of activities. City hospital workers must also get a vaccine or be subjected to weekly testing. Similar rules are in place for New York State employees.
    • At the federal level. The Pentagon announced that it would seek to make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for the country’s 1.3 million active-duty troops “no later” than the middle of September. President Biden announced that all civilian federal employees would have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel.

“We do understand the challenges here, and because of that we will continue to work very diligently to try to have a solution,” Dr. Peter Marks, the F.D.A.’s top vaccine regulator, said at the panel’s meeting. The F.D.A. is waiting on more data that it expects to receive this month, including Johnson & Johnson’s clinical trial data on the safety and efficacy of two doses.

Dr. Kathleen Dooling, a C.D.C. official, said that patients who qualify for a third dose should ideally seek out the vaccine they already received, but that they could take the other two-dose vaccine if necessary.

Presenting studies that supported giving third doses, Dr. Dooling emphasized that immunocompromised people who receive a third dose should still wear a mask, maintain social distancing with people they do not live with, and avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces. She said that people with weakened immune systems had also been shown to be at greater risk of breakthrough infection.

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Company provides closing OK to manage Covid vaccine booster pictures to susceptible Individuals

Agency gives final OK to administer Covid vaccine booster shots to vulnerable Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday gave final approval to give Covid-19 booster vaccinations to recipients of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, hours after a key panel unanimously voted to allow third doses for immunocompromised Americans advocate.

“At a time when the Delta variant is on the rise, an extra dose of vaccine for some people with compromised immune systems could help prevent serious and potentially life-threatening COVID-19 cases in this population,” said CDC Director Dr . Rochelle Walensky in a statement.

The CDC’s decision and recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices followed the approval of the booster vaccination for immunocompromised patients by the Food and Drug Administration late Thursday. With the OK from both authorities, the booster doses could be given immediately.

“For the past almost a year and a half, I have cared for many patients with life-threatening and fatal diseases, and even post-vaccination,” who are immunocompromised, Dr. Camille Nelson Kotton, a transplant and infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the panel to strongly support boosters for those with weak immune systems. “They just suffer from a lack of good vaccination protection, we know that the vaccine is less effective in this population.”

Close-up of the Moderna vaccine at the Park County Health Department’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic for Seniors 80 and older on January 28, 2021 in Livingston, Montana.

William Campbell | Getty Images

FDA approval approved third doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for “solid organ transplant recipients or those diagnosed with conditions believed to have equivalent levels of immunodeficiency.”

“New data suggests that some people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity as people who are not immunocompromised,” said Walensky. “While immunocompromised people make up about 3% of the US adult population, they are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because they are at greater risk of developing serious, longer-lasting illnesses.”

Authorities have not released a booster vaccination to anyone else fully vaccinated or to recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which is manufactured in the Janssen vaccines division.

“There is currently no data to support the use of an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine following a Janssen Covid-19 primary vaccine in immunocompromised people. The FDA and CDC are actively working to provide guidance on this matter,” said Dr. Neela. from CDC Goswami wrote to ACIP in her presentation.

The CDC recommended a third dose for at-risk Americans 28 days or more after completing the first two rounds of shooting. Booster doses are also recommended for cancer patients and HIV patients after data showed that immune responses after the first two doses did not provide adequate protection against Covid-19 and its variants in these patients.

The additional recordings were recommended for Pfizer recipients aged 12 and over and for Moderna recipients aged 18 and over. The panel said it will revisit the recordings for younger Moderna recipients after the FDA clears the recordings for children.

Immunocompromised patients make up approximately 2.7% of the US adult population and 44% of breakthrough hospital-treated infections that make someone infected even after being fully vaccinated.

Studies suggest that a third dose of the vaccine might help people whose immune systems do not respond as well to a first or second dose. Five small studies cited by the CDC showed that 11% to 80% of people with compromised immune systems had no detectable antibodies to Covid after two shots.

Among immunocompromised patients who had no detectable antibody response, 33 to 50% developed an antibody response after receiving an additional dose, according to the CDC.

Patients at risk are also more likely to experience persistent Covid infections, the panel said. The data also suggests that they are likely to shed more viruses and potentially infect more people than those who are not immunocompromised.

Early data from small studies on the effects of booster doses in immunocompromised patients showed no serious side effects from a third vaccination with an mRNA vaccine and symptoms beyond those identified after the first two-dose dose.

Several countries, including Israel, the Dominican Republic, France, the UK and Germany, have either already started or are considering giving booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

Immunocompromised patients receiving a third dose should continue to wear a mask and social distancing, the panel said.

Survey data from hesitant immunocompromised patients show that, according to a panel presentation by Dr. Kathleen Dooling of the CDC still has many worried about the side effects of the vaccines and the speed at which the vaccines have been developed, as well as the general suspicion about the vaccines.

Around 10% of immunocompromised patients say they will “definitely not” receive a vaccine, another 9% say they are “unsure” or “probably not” and 44% say they will “definitely” get a vaccine. Those who hesitate are usually younger, belong to an ethnic or racial minority, or are female.

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Anthony Scaramucci say his agency’s Covid vaccine mandate is about ‘freedom’

Anthony Scaramucci say his firm's Covid vaccine mandate is about 'freedom'

SkyBridge founder Anthony Scaramucci on Friday urged the American company to show “real leadership” with Covid vaccinations as the country battles a spate of infections linked to the highly contagious Delta variant.

“This is a personal security and freedom problem. You know, I have the freedom to move my arm, but I don’t have the freedom to close my fist and put it in someone’s face, ”Scaramucci said on“ Squawk Box. ”“ This is a freedom problem for all people. The vaccines will create more freedom, not less. “

The Wall Street veteran has ordered that his investment firm employees be vaccinated to return to the office, a decision he believes has been criticized. But he added, “I don’t really care.”

A CNBC poll in late July found sharp disagreements in the United States over whether vaccination regulations should be implemented. However, several large companies have put strict vaccination policies in place for some or all of their employees in the past few weeks, including United Airlines, Walmart, and meat packer Tyson Foods.

“There is an ideological struggle going on in the United States right now that is not based on science. It is not based on health and safety. It takes real leadership, ”said Scaramucci. “It takes corporate governance and political leadership to explain to people that we need a vaccination card, just like your children have a vaccination card at school to protect the health and safety of those around us.”

The number of US vaccinations has increased in recent weeks, especially in states badly affected by the Delta variant such as Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. The new surge comes after coronavirus cases dropped dramatically when vaccinations were introduced in the spring.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 59% of all Americans eligible for the Covid vaccine – ages 12 and up – are fully immunized, while 69.2% have received at least one dose.

Scaramucci, who briefly served as then-President Donald Trump’s communications director in the White House, said he understands that some Americans have lost trust in institutions and are suspicious of Covid vaccines, despite the extensive evidence showing their ability to do so Reduce risk of hospitalization and death from the disease.

“We have to rebuild that to get these people familiar with things like these vaccines,” he said. However, he added, “It’s safer to get vaccinated. Why take your family to hospital despite the struggle, God forbid? I feel very strong about it.”

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U.S. well being division mandates Covid vaccine pictures for its 25,000 workers

U.S. health department mandates Covid vaccine shots for its 25,000 employees

Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services (HHS) candidate, attends his Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on February 24, 2021.

Michael Reynolds | Swimming pool | Reuters

The Department of Health and Human Services is ordering Covid-19 vaccine syringes for the agency’s 25,000-plus employees, making it the latest government agency to require vaccinations in response to the global surge in the Delta variant.

The mandate announced Thursday by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra covers the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps – three agencies overseen by the department – and staff working with patients in medical or clinical research facilities of the federal government work together.

“Our ultimate goal is the health and safety of the American public, including our federal employees, and vaccines are the best tool we have to protect people from COVID-19, prevent the spread of the Delta variant, and save lives” Becerra said in a statement from HHS.

Members of the commanded corps must also be vaccinated against the virus if they are called to active duty as emergency services. The new mandate follows the agency’s existing religious and medical exemptions for vaccinations against influenza and other diseases.

The decision is made just days after the Pentagon issued a Covid vaccination mandate for all service members to be vaccinated by mid-September. The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to issue a Covid vaccination mandate for health workers last month.

President Joe Biden also announced mandatory vaccination for all federal employees on July 29, giving them the alternative of having weekly coronavirus tests instead of showing proof of vaccination. HHS did not state whether employees could choose to get tested for the coronavirus regularly instead of getting vaccinated.

Company executives are also increasingly exercising vaccine mandates. Companies including Google, Facebook, United Airlines and Tyson Foods are now demanding that some or all of their employees be vaccinated as the number of coronavirus cases in the US has risen recently.

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Alaska Airways is contemplating Covid vaccine mandates for workers

Alaska Airlines is considering Covid vaccine mandates for staff

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 taking off from LAX.

PG | Getty Images

Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday that it is considering making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for employees, according to a company memo that CNBC viewed.

The policy change would make the Seattle-based airline the newest airline to require vaccines for its employees. On Friday, United Airlines became the first major US airline to require vaccines for its employees. Frontier Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have since issued similar requirements.

Alaska, which has about 20,000 employees, said if it did make vaccines mandatory it would after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved one of the vaccines currently available under emergency approval.

Airline executives recently raised concerns about the rapidly spreading Delta variant of Covid. Southwest Airlines lowered its revenue and profit forecasts on Wednesday and made the spread of the variant due to weaker bookings and increased cancellations.

Delta, Southwest, and American have encouraged, but not mandated, employee vaccination.

“As an employer with a duty to protect you, and given the contagion and health risks of the COVID-19 virus and its variants, we have the right to make that decision and ask you for information about your vaccine status,” Alaska employees said . It was said that there would be exemptions for religious or medical reasons, similar to other companies.

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Pentagon to require all service members to get Covid vaccine by mid-September

Pentagon to require all service members to get Covid vaccine by mid-September

A U.S. Marine receives the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at Camp Foster on April 28, 2021 in Ginowan, Japan.

Carl Hof | Getty Images

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon said Monday it would try to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for service members by mid-September at the latest.

President Joe Biden supported the move.

“I am proud that our military and men will continue to take the lead in the fight against this pandemic, as is so often the case, by setting a good example to protect their fellow Americans,” the president said in a statement on Monday afternoon.

In a message to the force, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he had consulted with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, secretaries and chiefs of sister service branches, and the White House Covid Task Force before reaching that decision.

“I have every confidence that the service and your commanders will implement this new vaccination program with professionalism, skill and compassion,” Austin wrote in his memo to all Department of Defense officials.

United States President Joe Biden listens as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, USA on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.

Michael Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images

“We will also keep a close eye on the infection rates that are now increasing with the Delta variant and their impact on our operational readiness President, if I think it is necessary,” wrote Austin.

The decision is made because the delta variant of Covid-19 is spreading rapidly, driving up hospital stays and serious illnesses in unvaccinated people.

The Pentagon says roughly half the U.S. military is already fully vaccinated, with the Navy recording the highest vaccination rates. The Navy says about 73% of sailors are fully vaccinated.

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The military already requires vaccinations against several other diseases.

The White House welcomed Austin’s decision, saying the vaccines were safe and would “help our service members stay healthy, better protect their families and ensure our armed forces are operational anywhere in the world.”

“These vaccines will save lives. Period. You are safe. They’re effective, ”said Biden.

According to the Pentagon, 28 service members have died as a result of Covid since the outbreak of the corona virus.