“There is enough vaccine, which is basically 100 percent undeniable, for every single, single American,” Biden said Tuesday.
Privately, however, White House officials have been left to fend for themselves in a country with a pandemic that is less willing to accept scientific caution – and where a significant portion of the population is already stubbornly skeptical about vaccines.
Democrats conceded that the move by the administration will have a ‘cold effect’ on the national vaccination campaign, even if the government opposes it. Officials on Tuesday reassured the countries to grapple with Covid’s recent infections that their overall vaccination would not be delayed. They asked questions about how to book tens of thousands of vaccine appointments and what it means for the total vaccine supply. Centers for Disease Control Officers briefed members of congressional committees, and senior White House health officials called with partners on public health as well as a group of black doctors. By evening, the Covid Response Team had arranged a call with the Community Corps, which was working with leaders from across the country working on the hesitation of vaccines in their local communities. There were more than 1,800 participants.
In the midst of these talks, they also slammed criticism from everyone like Donald Trump against Twitter armchair analysts who questioned the decision themselves and how the administration handled the messages behind it.
“These are confusing messages from the White House. The Biden government has done an excellent job of getting gunshots, no doubt, ”said Rebecca Katz, a progressive strategist, pointing out the White House’s points of discussion that the J&J vaccine has so far only Made up 5 percent of U.S. vaccinations. ‘Because there is hesitation out there, they have to be very, very smart and concise about this language. That’s not it. ”
White House officials dispute the assessment, saying their most important necessity on Tuesday addresses the biggest question facing the vast majority of Americans: can they get another vaccine? Tens of millions of Americans are awaiting vaccinations, with all adults 18 and older eligible for shots in the next week. The Biden government wanted to make it clear that Americans should still continue to discuss their vaccine appointments, a senior White House official said. If you do not make this clear, a slump in the rate of vaccinations could be dangerous, which they say is essential to stop the spread of the virus.
On the hill, Democrats defended the government’s decision, underlining the White House’s commitment to science and repeatedly emphasizing the need for vaccinations. At the same time, they acknowledged that the publicity surrounding adverse side effects with the J&J shots could erode efforts to win the trust of vaccine doubters.
‘I’m worried about the possible hesitation it could raise, and we’ll work even harder to overcome it all. [those] discussions, ”said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) Acknowledged: ‘There is a cold effect, so there is no doubt that it does not help our efforts to sell the efficacy of these vaccines’, but said the White House is consistent.
“Biden was 100 percent clear from the start that he would make decisions based on science and medicine, not politics,” Murphy said. “If FDA scientists think there’s a reason to stop and look at it, he should follow their advice.”
But even as he weakened Biden’s domestic policy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Drew his blows on Biden over the vaccine. McConnell did not want to criticize the decision-making by the government, saying “there are two other alternatives, and I would encourage everyone to be vaccinated.”
Yet the J&J development has confronted the White House on several fronts. And that raised questions about whether the president and his team were at odds over the potential of the vaccine to end the Covid battle.
Just a month ago, Biden planned to purchase another 100 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses by the end of the year, giving the possibility that it could eventually be used to vaccinate children or provide a stimulant to combat variants can be. But last week, the company experienced major production problems at a plant in Baltimore that produces the vaccine, and the White House’s Covid response team warned that it would mean a slowdown in production. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical officer, estimated on Tuesday that it could take days to weeks for the J&J shots to become available again.
Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients pointed out that the setbacks with J&J would not affect the total vaccine supply, saying the White House had approached the pandemic like a war event and was working on various tracks to increase its stockpiles in anticipation of the possible setbacks.
“We are at war with the virus,” Zients said during an information session in the White House on Tuesday. “We made a wartime effort to prepare for a wide range of scenarios.”
Officials have argued that the disruption by the FDA and CDC should strengthen their case on vaccine safety by indicating that they will take every precaution, even if the data show that adverse effects are extremely rare. In this case, there were six cases of rare blood clotting due to the J&J vaccine from more than 6.8 million doses.