CDC Director On Boosters: "We May Need to Update Our Definition of 'Fully Vaccinated' in The Future"

Today: CDC Director Walensky confirms that boosters may soon be mandatory to be considered “fully vaccinated.”

“We have not yet changed the definition of fully vaccinated. We will continue to look at this. We may need to update our definition of fully vaccinated in the future.” pic.twitter.com/mVgfSteYxp

— Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) October 22, 2021

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday suggested that the definition of what constitutes being "fully vaccinated" may change as boosters become more commonplace, echoing a move handed down several weeks ago by Israeli officials.

For now, in order to meet the CDC's criteria for being "fully vaccinated," one has to have two shots of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson's.

"We have not yet changed the definition of 'fully vaccinated.' We will continue to look at this. We may need to update our definition of 'fully vaccinated' in the future," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters in response to a question about whether the fully vaccinated status will one day be imperiled for those who have received two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or one dose of the J&J vaccine.

"If you're eligible for a booster, go ahead and get your booster and we will continue to follow," she added. Walensky did not offer a timeline or other details about a possible change.

Walensky's comments Friday represent a reversal of a previous position she took during a COVID-19 briefing. In late September, she said that federal health officials are not considering changing the definition of "fully vaccinated" for the time being.

Check out @CDCgov’s evolving definition of “vaccination.” They’ve been busy at the Ministry of Truth: pic.twitter.com/4k2xf8rvsL

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) September 8, 2021

"About a month ago, [Fauci] began saying '70, 75 percent' in television interviews. And last week, in an interview with CNBC News, he said '75, 80, 85 percent' and '75 to 80-plus percent,'" [New York Times' Donald G.] McNeil writes.

[...] "Fauci acknowledged that he had slowly but deliberately been moving the goalposts."

"He is doing so, he said, partly based on new science, and partly on his gut feeling that the country is finally ready to hear what he really thinks."

"When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent ... Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, "I can nudge this up a bit," so I went to 80, 85. We need to have some humility here .... We really don't know what the real number is. I think the real range is somewhere between 70 to 90 percent. But, I'm not going to say 90 percent."