U.S. plans boosters for at-risk Americans: Fauci

Ignoring a plea by the WHO to hold off until more people around the world can get their first shot, the U.S. is working to give additional COVID-19 booster shots to Americans with compromised immune systems as quickly as possible, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday.

This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.

In a race against the highly transmissible Delta variant - the United States is working to give additional COVID-19 booster shots for at-risk Americans with compromised immune systems. Top U.S. infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci: ”Immunocompromised individuals are vulnerable.

(flash) “It is extremely important for us to move to get those individuals their boosters.

And we are now working on that and we'll make that be implemented as quickly as possible..." With that goal in mind, the U.S. is joining Germany, France and Israel’s plan to give boosters to certain individuals… and ignoring Wednesday’s plea by the World Health Organization to hold off on boosters until more people in poorer nations can get their first shot.

According to the WHO, low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 doses for every 100 people, due to lack of supplies.

Vaccination rates are much higher in wealthy countries.

Even so - the United States is grappling with rising COVID cases - which are up about 43% over the previous week.

The spread of the Delta variant is much to blame - especially among the unvaccinated.

But breakthrough infections among the fully vaccinated are also occurring, though they are far less common.

FAUCI: “The ultimate end game of all of this is vaccination.” According to Fauci, the U.S. needs to vaccinate more, not less, and this is not the time to pause.