““I think I am an example, given my age, of what we’re all talking about today: I’m vaccinated, I’m doubly boosted, and I believe if that were not the case, I very likely would not be talking to you looking as well as I look.””
That was Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, speaking at a COVID-19 Response Team briefing just a week after revealing he had tested positive for the virus.
Fauci looked well during the virtual briefing on Thursday, and credited his mild COVID symptoms and rapid recovery to being fully vaccinated and getting two booster shots.
“I’m feeling really fine,” Fauci said, responding to a reporter’s question about his COVID case. He described having mild symptoms the previous week, testing positive, and feeling symptomatic for one day. He also completed a five-day Paxlovid antiviral treatment regimen.
“So all is well with Fauci, and thank you for asking,” he said.
The White House recently stepped up its effort to give more Americans access to Pfizer’s PFE, +2.08% COVID antiviral drug Paxlovid, and about 30,000 people in the U.S. got a Paxlovid prescription every day during the last week of May, the White House reported. Pfizer said it will prioritize studying Paxlovid in vulnerable and at-risk-patient populations going forward.
Read more: Pfizer says Paxlovid doesn’t help COVID-19 patients unless they are high risk
But Pfizer shared updated data from a Phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating Paxlovid just this week that suggested the antiviral isn’t so effective for people who are vaccinated and healthy. Pfizer’s CEO also said that the research found Paxlovid did not have a significant impact on high-risk people who have been vaccinated, either, but it helps high-risk, unvaccinated patients.
At 81 years old, Fauci would be in a high-risk group. Older adults have the highest risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, the CDC reports, and more than 81% of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in people over 65.
The White House COVID-19 Response Team met Thursday to brief the public on the Biden administration’s plan to give COVID vaccines to children under 5. The Pfizer and Moderna MRNA, +5.28% COVID-19 vaccines became available to infants, toddlers and preschoolers this week, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the vaccines for the youngest Americans last weekend.
Here’s what parents need to know about COVID vaccines for kids under 5, including where to find vaccines, how many doses are needed and possible side effects.
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