Today the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing to receive an update from federal officials currently working on the COVID-19 response. Witnesses testifying before the committee were:
- Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Anthony Fauci, MD, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- David Kessler, MD, Chief Science Officer, COVID Response, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Peter Marks, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
During the hearing, HELP Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) touted her bill, the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (S. 674), which is endorsed by NACCHO. The bill would provide a mandatory annual funding stream of $4.5 billion to build public health infrastructure at the local and state levels.
In his opening statement, Dr. Fauci gave an overview of the currently authorized vaccines—Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson—and outlined the remarkable feat undertaken by public health professionals and scientists, submitting a vaccine Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) request within 325 days of the virus being found in the US. Dr. Fauci noted that although this development occurred quickly, the research began decades before, giving a foundation for the scientific breakthrough. Dr. Fauci raised concerns surrounding the emerging viral variants, noting that federal agencies are working on possible variant-specific booster shots.
In his testimony before the committee, Dr. Kessler outlined recent developments on vaccine production, highlighting that Pfizer and Moderna are expected to deliver 200 million doses by May, and Johnson & Johnson will deliver 100 million doses during the same time period.
In her testimony, Dr. Walensky aligned with the others on the panel, noting that CDC is monitoring the variants, and added that the three vaccines currently available are highly effective, and will reduce the incidence of morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization. Dr. Marks’s opening statement concurred, adding that the FDA will continue to monitor the three vaccines, and has updated its EUA guidelines due to the emerging viral strains.
Under questioning by Chair Murray, Dr. Fauci noted that the largest problem facing the nation is multifaceted, and requires the country to vaccinate as fast as possible, to stay ahead of the viral variants. Murray asked Dr. Walensky what the Biden administration is doing to ensure the public can trust the science. Dr. Walensky highlighted the importance of trusted community voices—including local health departments—and their work to communicate vaccine confidence to the public. Dr. Walensky added that the CDC is providing vaccine confidence consults as well as advice to health care agencies on proper methods to promote vaccine confidence.
Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) raised questions as to why CDC chose to inform the public of the updated safety guidelines a few months after vaccinations began. Dr. Walensky stated at the time the guidelines were released, less than 10% of the U.S. population had been vaccinated, and that CDC closely followed the science before making any changes to the guidelines. In response to lawmakers’ concerns surrounding racial disparities in morbidity, mortality, and data collection, Dr. Walensky stated that race and ethnicity data will be a key part of data modernization—NACCHO has been a strong advocate for data modernization, and for the reduction of racial and ethnic health inequities.
Several other lawmakers raised concerns regarding school reopenings, the efficacy of mask wearing after vaccinations, as well as the timeline for children to begin receiving vaccines. Dr. Marks noted that the three companies with vaccines currently in use are planning to begin, or have already started, trials on children.