Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the interruption of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was only a pause – not a cancellation – and he doubted it would take weeks to months.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended that the U.S. report the use of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine over six reported cases or a ‘rare and serious blood clot’ in the U.S.
Fauci said on CNN’s New Day program on Wednesday. these types of cases, do not treat it with heparin. There are other treatment methods that can be used. ‘
The interruption, he said, should “underline and confirm how serious we take safety, even though it is a very rare event.”
Fauci told CNN that he had no reason to believe there were many more cases, but that the break was there to see if there were any more cases.
“If anyone doubts that they may not take safety very seriously, I think it’s a confirmation that safety is the most important aspect of the FDA and the CDC,” he said. “That’s why it was done and that’s why it’s a break.”
It’s not a cancellation, it’s a break, “Fauci stressed.
After speaking with the CDC and the FDA, Fauci said he thinks it “will most likely be more days to weeks than weeks to months. I have very serious doubts if we talk from weeks to months.”
On the bigger issue of hesitant vaccine, Fauci said that while the wait-and-see approach is ‘understandable’, there is enough data in favor of vaccines.
“More than 120 million – almost 130 million people have already received at least one dose of this. These are a lot of people. How long do you want to wait and see? You have almost half of the country that has received at least one dose. I think we waited long enough. Let’s do it, ‘he said.
And as more people are vaccinated, Fauci also said deaths from the virus will continue to decline, although the number of cases could increase.
“The most vulnerable are protected to the extent of the relative relationship,” he said. “As we get more and more people – 3 million to 4 million people a day vaccinated – the vaccine component of this is going to get stronger, and then you’ll see the cases go down.”
Listen to the interview with Dr. Fauci on CNN: