White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the new COVID vaccines expected to be approved this week. Those vaccines have only been tested on animals, according to the reporter who asked the question.
And, only 30 percent of eligible individuals have received their second booster. With those things in mind, the White House was asked if they are confident the vaccines will actually work when out in population and what it will do to convince people to get the next booster.
Here was Jean-Pierre’s response:
“So, just to be clear, like, these decisions on the vaccines, including on who will be eligible and when and — are made by FDA and the CDC based on their expert reviews, so I’m not going to get ahead of them. They’re going to make the decision on their safety and how — and who’s going to get them, as I just stated.
But in — to your second part of your question, the administration has been working with state and local health departments and other partners to prepare operationally for all scenarios. This includes working together to ensure vaccines remain available and at a range of trusted, convenient locations, including local pharmacies and community health centers, and easy to access.
So, as you know, we’re learning from the comprehensive campaign that we had for earlier — earlier in this administration. So we’re also planning a robust public education campaign — building on lessons, again, we’ve learned and focusing on those most at risk.
And so, this will include leveraging deep partnerships across sectors to meet people where they are with facts and answers to questions, and empowering trusted local messengers with messaging they need to engage with their communities about the importance of vaccination.
But I don’t want to get ahead of what the CDC and FDA is going to decide.”
