COVID -19 Infections Rise In 42 States; Pfizer to Discuss Vaccine Booster With U.S. Health Officials

A surge in COVID-19 cases was reported in 42 states amid efforts of vaccine rollout in the country. USA Today reported that the increase in COVID-19 cases was recorded from the previous week over a seven-day period that ended on Saturday, July 10.

Alaska, Maine, Delaware, Iowa, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Rhode Island were the only states that saw a decline in COVID-19 infections in the same time frame.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded at least 22,569 new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. in the last 24 hours. The organization further noted that the country had at least 301 new death related to the disease.

COVID-19 Deaths Among Unvaccinated Americans

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky emphasized that more than 99 percent of the COVID-19 deaths in June occurred among unvaccinated people.

Walensky noted that nearly all the COVID-19 deaths in the past six months were related to unvaccinated people in the country.

USA Today reported that the vaccination rate of the country slowed down. CDC revealed that less than half of Americans, amounting to 47.9 percent, were recorded as fully vaccinated.

Despite the COVID-19 deaths in the country, Reuters mentioned that the U.S. was struggling to vaccinate the initial shots among people in some areas as Delta variant becomes the dominant strain in the country.

Pfizer and U.S. Health Officials to Discuss COVID Boosters; Dr. Fauci Says Third Shot is Not Yet Needed

The surge in COVID-19 infections came as pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is set to meet with U.S. health officials on Monday, July 12.

Reuters reported that the company would discuss the need for COVID-19 booster shots as the Delta variant continued to wreak havoc in the U.S.

Among those invited to the meeting were Dr. Anthony Fauci and heads of the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite the company's plans to seek authorization on their booster shots, Fauci sounded his disagreement for the third shot of the vaccine against the Delta variant, New York Post reported.

"Right now given the data and the information we have, we do not need to give people a third shot," Fauci said. Fauci added that the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not feel the need for a booster shot as he cited the data both of the agencies presented.

Despite saying that the booster shots are not needed right now, the White House chief medical advisor did not close the doors for recommending the booster shots in the future.

"This isn't something that we say 'no we don't need a boost right now, the story's ended forever.' No, there's a lot of working going that examines this in real-time, to see if we might need a boost," Fauci said.

Apart from Fauci, other experts also sounded their disagreement with the COVID-19 booster shots, arguing that authorizing the third shots among wealthy developed nations while other nations struggle with their initial vaccination might worsen the vaccine inequity.

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Pfizer, U.S. Officials to Meet on COVID-19 Booster Shot - From Reuters