Dr. Fauci: It's 'When, Not If' Definition Of Fully Vaccinated Will Change

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he believes that people will need to get a booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Speaking with CNN's Kate Bolduan, Dr. Fauci said, "it's going to be a matter of when, not if" health officials change the definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated.

"Whether or not it officially gets changed in the definition, I think that's going to be considered literally on a daily basis. That's always on the table," Fauci said. "It's going to be a matter of when, not if."

"It's a technical, almost semantic definition, and it is the definition for requirements if someone says, 'Are you fully vaccinated?' to be able to attend class in a university or a college or be able to work in a workplace," he added.

Dr. Fauci said the change isn't likely to happen in the immediate future and urged people to get the booster shot as soon as possible.

"I don't see that changing tomorrow or next week, but certainly, if you want to talk about what optimal protection is, I don't think anybody would argue that optimal protection is going to be with a third shot," Fauci said.

As of December 8, close to 49 million of the 200 million fully vaccinated individuals in the United States have received a booster dose.