Coronavirus pandemic
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Fauci: U.S. must stick with two-shot strategy for Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna vaccines

Delaying a second dose to inoculate more Americans creates risks, infectious-disease expert says

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March 1, 2021 at 8:38 p.m. EST
Anthony S. Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens to President Biden speak last week about the U.S. vaccination effort. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

The government’s top infectious-disease expert on Monday reiterated that the United States will stick to a plan to inoculate tens of millions of Americans with two doses of coronavirus vaccine, as calls mount to protect more people by letting them get one shot now.

“There’s risks on either side,” Anthony S. Fauci told The Washington Post, warning that shifting to a single-dose strategy for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines could leave people less protected, enable variants to spread and possibly boost skepticism among Americans already hesitant to get the shots.