The FDA’s Aug. 23 announcement giving full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is called Comirnaty, was front of mind for the weekly briefing by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The agency’s public health director, Dr. Brannon Traxler, said the announcement was obviously great news.
Traxler said it demonstrates the FDA has collected additional evidence showing the vaccine is effective in preventing severe disease and death from COVID-19. It’s also an indication the vaccine can be manufactured safely and with consistent quality.
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The FDA approval is for people who are 16 years old and older. The Emergency Use Authorization remains in place for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those between the ages of 12 and 15, as well as the EUA for Moderna and J&J vaccines for those 18 and older.
“Let me clear. All three of the vaccines that are currently available are safe and effective. They will help keep you out of the hospital if you do get COVID-19 infection. All three of these vaccines are effective in protecting you against the delta variant as well. These vaccines can save your life,” Traxler said.
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Traxler was asked about comments made by Don Quigley at Tuesday night’s Aiken County Board of Education meeting. Quigley referred to, “The COVID mRNA gene therapy shots. It’s not a vaccination.”
Traxler disputed that.
“The mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, the Moderna and the Pfizer, are not gene therapy,” she said. “They do not change genes in your DNA. So that is incorrect to call them gene therapy in that regard. This is not the entire mRNA of even a virus. This is just enough to cause your body to make antibodies against the spike protein that is on the surface of the virus.”
Traxler said she’s concerned that many school districts are reporting much higher cases now than at the same time last year. She said students, especially those too young to be vaccinated, need to be surrounded by people who are fully vaccinated because children’s immune systems aren’t fully developed.
In Georgia, an Augusta church is trying to help people get vaccinated.
The Augusta Worship Center, partnering with Walgreens, is offering free vaccinations at its location at 3840 Mike Padgett Hwy. It will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 28, first come first served. Comirnaty, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, will be used.
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“As we watch the COVID-19 cases counts rise, we will do all we can to assist those who may have trouble gaining access to the vaccine,” said Jay Johnson, the church’s pastor. “Often those most in need are forgotten or overlooked, and we want to do our part to ensure no Augustan is without access to this life-saving vaccine.”
Gov. Brian Kemp is sending help to 10 Georgia hospitals. On Aug. 23, he announced 105 members of the Georgia National Guard will deploy to hospitals around the state to assist hospital staff.
Kemp said, “This Georgia National Guard mission is in addition to the 2,800 state-supported staff and 450 new beds brought online I announced last week, at a total state investment of $625 million through December of this year. I continue to urge all Georgians to talk to a medical professional about getting vaccinated.”
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Although none of the personnel are coming to the Augusta area, National Guard troops did work with Augusta University and the Georgia Department of Public Health last year to coordinate results from nine testing sites across the state.
“This partnership with the Guard and Augusta University was invaluable to the COVID-19 response in Georgia,” said Dr. Kathleen Toomey, GDPH commissioner.
AU said more than 44,000 people were tested at the sites.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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