Wen on the Bird Flu: The Biden Admin Should Make Rapid Tests Available and Ask the FDA to Authorize the H5N1 Vaccine

EXCERPT:

WEN: “And the second very important thing is, this is not like the beginning of COVID, where we were dealing with a new virus, we didn't have a vaccine. There actually is a vaccine developed already against H5N1. The Biden administration has contracted with manufacturers to make almost 5 million doses of the vaccine. However, they have not asked the FDA to authorize the vaccine. There's research done on it. They could get this authorized now, and also get the vaccine out so — and to farm workers and to vulnerable people. I think that's the right approach, because we don't know what the Trump administration is going to be doing around bird flu. If they have people coming in with anti-vaccine stances, could they hold up vaccine authorization? If they don't want to know how much bird flu is out there, could they withhold testing? I mean, that's a possibility, and I think the Biden administration in the remaining days should get testing and vaccines widely available, so that at least it empowers state and local health officials and clinicians to do the right thing for their patients."