Letter to the Hon. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Jeffrey Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator - Release -- Khanna Urges Cdc to Consider One-Dose Vaccine Strategy as Surge Looms

Letter

Director Walensky and Mr. Zients:

Thank you both for your outstanding leadership at the helm of our nation's COVID-19 response. As the threat of a dangerous surge in cases led by SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) variants grows, I urge you to work with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to gather and consider data on the effectiveness of one-dose regimens of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Our country is facing a crucial turning point as we push to protect as many Americans as possible before another surge of infections. Every person we vaccinate today is a life potentially saved. If clinical data supports an effective one-dose vaccine regimen, it could nearly double our daily vaccination numbers, simplify administration, and reduce COVID-19 deaths in the long run. We must evaluate all information available and consider every option.

While daily U.S. case numbers are currently falling, more-contagious coronavirus variants first identified in South Africa, Brazil, and the United Kingdom are spreading across the globe. In fact, epidemiologists have already discovered infections caused by these variants in more than 30 states. Many patients had no recent travel history, which indicates community spread of these dangerous strains. Time is of the essence. The University of Minnesota's Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, believes we could see a surge in infections led by these variants in as few as six weeks. Our nation faces a potential five-alarm fire. It is vital that we consider all vaccine data available to maximize the number of people protected between now and the next surge.

Public health, epidemiology, and immunology experts, including Yale University's Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Brown University's Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, and University of California at San Francisco's Robert Wachter, MD, have urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider one-dose regimens for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. I share this concern and believe we must do everything possible to mitigate a future surge in cases. While it is important that the FDA continue to follow its regular and rigorous processes, we must also ensure that new data is analyzed in proper context and not overlooked. If the data shows a one-dose regimen would save more lives, then we must adjust our strategy accordingly.

Sincerely,

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