Biden Promised to Follow the Science. But Sometimes, He Gets Ahead of the Experts.
The New York Times
White House officials dismiss criticism that President Biden’s comments on booster shots amount to undue pressure on public health experts.
WASHINGTON — As he announced on Friday that booster shots would be available to some Americans, President Biden made a prediction: His administration was likely to soon provide third doses of the vaccine “across the board” to anyone who wanted one.
“In the near term, we’re probably going to open this up,” he told reporters in remarks from the State Dining Room at the White House.
But that assessment — a politically popular one in a country where most people vaccinated against the coronavirus say they are eager for a booster — was the latest example of how Mr. Biden and some of his team have been ahead of the nation’s top public health scientists, who have emphatically said in recent days that there is simply not enough evidence to suggest that boosters are necessary for the entire American population.
