White House Officials Meet With RSV Immunization Makers

WASHINGTON — Senior Biden-Harris administration officials this week urged the makers of shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, more popularly known as RSV, to step up the pace of their work ahead of the onset of winter.

Monday’s meeting followed a number of in-person and virtual meetings in which officials sought ways for manufacturers such as Sanofi and AstraZeneca to make more RSV immunizations available for infants.

As a result of those talks, the manufacturers earlier this month committed to producing tens of thousands of additional RSV immunizations for infants and confirmed that all of the additional 77,000 doses have been released.   

Among other topics discussed at Monday’s meeting, the manufacturers and senior administration officials agreed to get ahead of the planning curve now to better meet next year’s projected demand for immunizations. 

A read-out of the meeting released by the White House at its conclusion said the administration is continuing to prioritize access to safe and effective vaccines for all Americans who want to protect themselves and their loved ones from preventable illness. 

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccines for Children program provides vaccines to half of America’s children.

Senior administration officials said Monday they will continue to work directly with distributors and manufacturers to make sure the RSV immunization, flu vaccine, and updated COVID-19 vaccine are available to all families, with a particular focus on our most vulnerable communities, including infants.

This past holiday week, for instance, the White House dubbed the days before Thanksgiving “Holiday Vax Week of Action” in an effort to up the country’s vaccination rates. 

That commitment came on the heels of a CDC report that found vaccination numbers across the nation are not keeping pace with where they were last year. 

“Right now is the best time for folks to protect themselves so they can build up those antibodies ahead of the holidays,” officials said.

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