- Dr. Anthony Fauci urged Americans to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but did not choose the brand they received.
- An FDA advisory committee will vote Friday on the infection of a coronavirus vaccine by Johnson & Johnson.
- “People need to be vaccinated … Where a vaccine is available, take it,” Fauci told NBC News.
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The leading American expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, urged Americans to get a coronavirus vaccine and not choose the brand they receive.
New data from the Food and Drug Administration has shown that the single-dose coronavirus vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson is safe and effective, which can drastically accelerate the timeline of vaccine distribution in the US.
An advisory committee will vote Friday on the spread of the J&J vaccine for distribution, making it possible to participate in the U.S. launch of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern vaccines. If the vaccine is approved, the US could complete the priority groups by March, Aria Bendix of Insider reported.
In an interview with NBC’s “TODAY”, Fauci expressed optimism about a possible third vaccine being given to Americans.
“Having two is good; having three is absolutely better,” Fauci said during the “TODAY” segment. “It’s better because there are more choices. It’s better because it increases the supply of vaccines.”
The J&J shot is only a single dose, compared to the two-dose vaccines Moderna and Pfizer, which are usually administered three to four weeks apart. According to federal data, the latest vaccine was 66% effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19, while the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine were 94% and 95% effective, respectively.
“However, it is almost as good to prevent hospitalizations and deaths,” Hilary Brueck of Insider reported.
The infectious disease expert urged Americans to be vaccinated as soon as it became available, regardless of brand.
“It’s a race between the virus and the vaccination of humans,” Fauci said. “The longer someone waits to be vaccinated, the more likely the virus is to get a variant or a mutation.”
“The sooner we get the vaccine into the arms of individuals, no matter what the vaccine is, we only get it when it is available through the FDA,” Fauci said.