The Detroit mayor allegedly rejected Johnson & Johnson vaccines for his city, telling the feds that the shots are not as good as Moderna and Pfizer’s versions – which led to a reprimand from Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday.
“We need to get rid of this problem of comparing each other, except that we say we have an extremely effective group of three vaccines,” Fauci said when asked about Mayor Mike Duggan’s reported decision to reject more than 6,000 vaccines. Johnson & Johnson is dosing this week.
“In the important field of prevention of diseases leading to hospitalization and death, [the Johnson & Johnson vaccine] it is almost 100%, “he insisted at a White House press briefing.” I would only take the vaccine that is most readily available. “
His comments came after Duggan refused to receive 6,200 doses of re-approved Johnson & Johnson blows to the city, a public information officer with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told Crain’s Detroit.
The doses were instead sent to “other health departments that have lower coverage rates for those aged 65 and over,” the officer said.
Duggan later appeared to double his decision on Thursday, saying: “Johnson & Johnson is a very good vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer are the best … And I’ll do everything I can to make sure Detroit residents get the best of it. ”
The efficacy rates of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both about 94% after the second dose, according to the companies.
In contrast, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approximately 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19.
But at the same news conference with Fauci on Friday, Andy Slavitt, White House chief adviser for the COVID-19 response team, suggested that the Detroit mayor’s comments were misinterpreted.
“The mayor’s office indicated after talking to them that it was a misunderstanding. That was not the intention of these observations, “said Slavitt.
“We had a constant dialogue with Mayor Duggan, who said, in fact, that was not what he said, and / or yet, it was reported,” Biden said, according to the Detroit Free Press. In fact, he is very keen on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. And I think we would reiterate the message that for all of us, the first vaccine we have the opportunity to get has an absolute meaning to take ”.