Anthony Fauci says fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine ‘conceivable’ to fight Omicron

White House Chief Medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci has hinted that there may be a need for a fourth-dose boost in the US in order to battle with COVID-19 variant Omicron. Speaking at a news briefing, Fauci said that the booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine could be based on age, as well as underlying conditions of the individual. Citing recent data, he also stated that the need for a shot beyond the third dose is obviously an issue that has been followed very closely. 

Speaking to reporters at the White House briefing on Wednesday, Dr Fauci said, “There may be the need for yet again another boost -- in this case, a fourth-dose boost for an individual receiving the mRNA -- that could be based on age, as well as underlying conditions.”

Fauci stated that it is “conceivable” that the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be recommended to protect against the Omicron strain, adding: “The data from the trials on children from six months to 24 months, as well as those from 21 months to -- up to the end of four years have been conducted by the pharmaceutical company, in this case, Pfizer."

'Full-blown pandemic phase'

It is to mention Fauci’s recommendation of a fourth dose comes after he informed that half a million people around the world have died of COVID-19 since the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected first in November 2021. “It is a full-blown pandemic phase,” he said. Notably, according to the WHO, around 100,000 deaths have been reported since Omicron was declared a “variant of concern”. 

Meanwhile, it also comes amid a time when some statewide COVID-19 mask mandates in the US are coming to an end. Earlier, the White House maintained its adherence to US CDC guidance encouraging mask usage in schools as some states take steps toward lifting mask mandates in the classroom. The CDC recommends that those who are vaccinated should "wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission”. 

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