This story was originally published by the WND News Center
(WND News Center) – Asked if the Biden administration should reconsider vaccine mandates in response to recent court rulings, Dr. Anthony Fauci doubled down, insisting that “the communal good” supersedes “individual choices.”
MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell posed the question to the White House coronavirus adviser Wednesday, pointing out the growing political opposition as well as the legal setbacks.
“Is there any thought of backing off of [requiring the vaccine], and trying to avoid all the outcry against it,” asked the veteran NBC reporter.
Fauci replied that “we really have to get people vaccinated.”
“I would prefer, and we all would prefer, that people would be voluntarily getting vaccinated,” he said. “But if they’re not gonna do that, sometimes you’ve got to do things that are unpopular, but that clearly supersede individual choices and are directed predominantly at the communal good.”
See Fauci’s remarks:
Fauci: “I would prefer, and we all would prefer that people would be voluntarily getting vaccinated, but if they’re not gonna do that, sometimes you’ve got to do things that are unpopular, but that clearly supersede individual choices…” pic.twitter.com/yxbOw9cwKw
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) December 8, 2021
In a CNN interview Wednesday, Fauci added that it’s only a matter of time before the definition of “fully vaccinated” changes from two shots to three.
CNN’s Kate Bouldon talks Fauci into agreeing the definition of being “fully vaccinated” should be updated to mean having had a booster: “My own personal opinion, Kate, is what you said is correct. It’s going to be a matter of when, not if.” pic.twitter.com/pebLUDdEfT
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 8, 2021
Earlier Wednesday, Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement that protection from COVID-19 is “improved with a third dose of our vaccine.” However, a new study released last Tuesday indicates the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is considerably less effective against the new omicron variant.
Last week, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the current crop of COVID-19 vaccines will not effectively handle the new omicron variant.
Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson are both working on a vaccine to target omicron, while Moderna has said it’s developing a booster shot for the new variant that could be ready by March.
Reprinted with permission from the WND News Center