Dr. Fauci: Thanksgiving Gatherings OK In NJ For Vaccinated

NEW JERSEY — If you're vaccinated and your family is vaccinated, you "can enjoy a typical Thanksgiving," said Dr. Anthony Fauci this week.

“If you get vaccinated and your family’s vaccinated, you can feel good about enjoying a typical Thanksgiving, Christmas with your family and close friends,” said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health, at this virtual meeting hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Also this week, Gov. Phil Murphy said that he may make it so anyone in New Jersey can get a booster shot. He made this announcement at a time when uptake of booster shots remains far under where public health officials would like it to be.

"Booster uptake is lower than we would like," said Murphy last week, adding that "demand (is) under what we need it to be on boosters."

California and Colorado have made booster shots available to anyone who wants one. Just this week, New York City said it is also opening booster shots to all.

"You've seen what California is — the direction they're headed, Colorado, New York City. I think you can assume that's a direction we're going to be headed," said Gov. Murphy at his press conference Monday.

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"You should expect we're going to make this more simple in the days ahead," said the governor. "If you’re in doubt and you meet the waiting period, just get a booster. Choose the side of greater protection. With the holidays coming up, we need as many people boosted as possible. It’s that simple."

Opening booster shots to everyone would be going against current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The CDC advises that those 65 and older, and those 18 and older with preexisting condition or works in a high-risk setting, such as a hospital or school, get boosters.

But state governors have the power to decide who can get a vaccine in their states.

"We've been adherent to CDC guidance from moment one," said Murphy. "But there's not much – I'll speak for myself – that's preventing us from just saying, You know what? If you're six months out or two months out in the J&J case and you're 18 and up, go get them."

About 24 percent of those eligible to get a booster have actually gotten one, according to the latest Department of Health data as of Monday.

"Only 24 percent of those who are eligible have actually received a booster," said NJ Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli at that same press briefing Monday. "Those who haven’t received a booster yet may not understand that their immunity has weakened since they received their primary vaccine series ... As Dr. Fauci has emphasized, boosters are not a bonus. They are absolutely essential to fighting the pandemic. We have seen that this is an unrelenting virus, so I strongly encourage all of those who are eligible to make an appointment for a booster today."

Effectiveness of all the current coronavirus vaccines wanes over time:

• For the J&J vaccine, effectiveness of 86.4 percent in February plunged to just 13.1 percent in October
• The Moderna effectiveness went from 89.2 percent in February to 58 percent in October
• For the Pfizer effectiveness, that went from 86.9 percent in February to 43.3 percent in October.

This is all according to Persichilli, who said it was outlined in the most recent Science magazine.

On Tuesday, New Jersey reported 1,305 new COVID cases and 24 deaths with the virus. The state's rate of transmission is hovering at around 1 percent.

As much as the public would like the coronavirus pandemic to be over, it is not, said both Fauci and Murphy this week.

"When we get there (an end of the pandemic) is going to depend entirely on us," said Dr. Fauci Monday. "How well we vaccinate the public, how well we get boosters to people. We know the vaccine efficacy clearly wanes. If we can get most of the people boostered, we can make 2022 much more of a normal year than what we've seen in 2021."

Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com