Sunday shows preview: Coronavirus dominates as country struggles with delta variant

The Biden administration’s efforts to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations in the face of the highly contagious delta variant are expected to dominate this week’s Sunday talk shows, especially as Republicans and business groups push back on new vaccine mandates. 

An advisory panel from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday unanimously voted to recommend a third booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people ages 65 and older and others at higher risk for COVID-19.

However, the panel voted overwhelmingly against recommending the booster shot for everyone over the age of 16, noting that there was not a substantial enough benefit shown among younger populations.

The decision was a blow to the Biden administration, as the president had previously announced a goal to administer booster doses to all Americans ages 16 and older beginning Sept. 20. 

The unexpected roadblock for President Biden comes as he is also facing opposition from Republican-led states and business groups over his announcement that all employers across the country with 100 or more workers must require their employees to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. 

Biden has also announced vaccine requirements for federal workers, as well as employees in healthcare settings. 

Job Creators Network, a small business advocacy group, announced Thursday that it planned to file a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its vaccine mandate for businesses, and a group of 24 Republican state attorneys general the same day sent a letter to the president threatening to take legal action. 

However, some major U.S. companies had already implemented vaccine mandates for their workers prior to Biden’s announcement, including United Airlines, whose CEO Scott Kirby told CNN this week that employees who receive medical or religious exemptions from the company’s vaccine requirement would not be allowed to interact directly with customers. 

Kirby, who is scheduled to appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, also said this week that the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses was the “most efficient way” to encourage vaccinations. 

Meanwhile, questions have been raised on whether vaccine mandates should be introduced for air travel and other public transportation. 

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and the White House’s chief medical adviser, said in podcast interview released Thursday that he would support vaccine requirements for air travel. 

Fauci, who is scheduled to make a round of appearances on three of this week’s Sunday talk shows, had also previously said that he believed schools requiring vaccines among children old enough to receive them was “a good idea,” noting that the policy has been in place for other vaccinations and immunizations for “decades and decades.”

Below are the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows.

ABC’s “This Week” — Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Fauci; Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby; Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Fauci; Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.); Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.).

“Fox News Sunday” — Collins; Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.).

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State; Eric Trump; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas); Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.).