Fauci says Pfizer CEO apologized for not giving warning on booster announcement
Anthony Fauci speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. Photo: Sarah Silbiger/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla apologized to him for not giving health officials advance notice that the company would seek an authorization for a third dose of its coronavirus vaccine.
The big picture: After Pfizer's announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration published a joint statement saying Americans do not need boosters yet.
- "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time," the CDC and FDA wrote in the statement.
Driving the news: Blitzer asked Fauci about concerns over a "lack of coordination" between the federal government and vaccine companies following the communication mishap.
- "We are on the same page," Fauci told Blitzer. "They came out with the announcement without giving us a heads up."
- "Quite frankly, the CEO, who is a really good guy, got on the phone with me last night and apologized ... for not letting us know that he was going to do it ahead of time."
Of note: Fauci reiterated Friday that individuals who have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson do not need to get a booster.
- "The FDA, CDC and NIH are now gathering information through clinical studies and laboratory studies to determine if and when we might need boosters. But that's not right now."
Go deeper: Pfizer to seek FDA authorization for third dose of coronavirus vaccine