Fauci Says 'Better' COVID Vaccines Needed to Protect Against Infection

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID. The POTUS was vaccinated against the disease in January 2021 and has received two boosters since then.

Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the US president, believes there is a need for "better" vaccines against the COVID-19 infection.

During an interview with Fox News, Fauci said that although the existing vaccines against coronavirus have proved their efficacy, the virus has been evolving while immunity usually wanes within several months.

"...When you look at the difference between vaccinated people - particularly those who are boosted - and unvaccinated people, the hospitalization, morbidity and mortality weighs extremely heavily multifold among the unvaccinated. That's not necessarily the case because of the way the virus has evolved when you're dealing with the acquisition of infections. So what we need is I think what you're hinting at - we need vaccines that are better. That are better because of the breadth and the durability, because we know that immunity wanes over several months. And that's the reason why we have boosters. But also, we need vaccines that protect against infection," Fauci said during the interview.

The conversation took place the day after US President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID. The 79-year-old POTUS was vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine shortly before his inauguration in January 2021 and he has received two booster shots - one in September 2021 and the other on 30 March.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 125,000 COVID cases are reported, and 355 related deaths are registered on average every day. The total number of COVID cases in the US is nearing 90 million, and the death toll from COVID stands at 1,021,546.