The U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Sunday that he's hopeful the Food and Drug Administration will give full approval to coronavirus vaccines by month’s end.
He's predicting the move will spur a wave of vaccine mandates in the private sector as well as schools and universities.
Full Fauci Interview: Delta variant "extremely dangerous for the unvaccinated"
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 8, 2021
Dr. Anthony Fauci talks about the rise in Covid cases, the Delta variant & masking guidance during an interview with Meet the Press. #IfItsSunday #MTPhttps://t.co/o3NANV8qQ1 pic.twitter.com/jb63dc4oJ4
The FDA has only granted emergency-use approval of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but the agency is expected to soon give full approval to Pfizer.
The Biden administration says that the federal government does not have the authority to mandate vaccinations beyond the federal workforce, but is increasingly urging state and local governments as well as businesses to consider such mandates.
Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, told NBC’s Meet the Press that “mandates at the local level need to be done” to help curb the spread of the virus.
"We’ve got to go the extra step to get people vaccinated,” he said.
