Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine break is just a break – not a cancellation – and he doubts it will last weeks to months.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that the United States discontinue the use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine in six reported cases or “a rare and severe type of blood clot” reported in the United States.
Speaking on CNN’s New Day program on Wednesday, Fauci said: “There is a twofold reason: one for a safety precaution in abundance, take a quick look, get more details, but also go to the doctors. hence, if you see such cases, do not treat them with heparin. There are other treatment methods that could be used. “
The break, in his mind, should “emphasize and confirm how seriously we take safety, even if it is a very rare event.”
Fauci told CNN that he has no reason to believe there are many more cases, but that the break is there to take a look to see if there are more cases.
“If anyone doubts that safety may not be taken very seriously, I think this is a statement that safety is paramount when it comes to the FDA and the CDC,” he said. “That’s why it was done and that’s why it’s a break.”
It is not a cancellation, it is a break “, Fauci underlined.
After speaking with the CDC and the FDA, Fauci said he believes that “it is very likely that there will be more days to weeks than weeks to months. I seriously doubt if we are talking about weeks to months. ”
On the broader issue of vaccine hesitation, 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 it. There are many 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 I’ve had enough of waiting. Let’s do it, “he said.
And as more people are vaccinated, Fauci added that deaths from the virus will continue to decline – even as cases may increase.
“The most vulnerable, to a relative extent, are protected,” he said. “As we get more and more people – from 3 to 4 million people vaccinated a day – the vaccine component will become stronger and then you will see cases shrink.”
Listen to the interview with Dr. Fauci on CNN: