America is likely to resume the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine by Friday, with certain restrictions to counter rare blood clots, says Dr. Fauci
- President Biden’s chief medical adviser says shootings will return with restrictions
- He would be “very surprised” if the J&J vaccine did not resume “in some form by Friday”
- There have been six cases of blood clots in more than 7 million vaccinations in the United States
The United States is likely to resume the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine next week, possibly with wider restrictions or warnings following reports of some very rare cases of blood clots, the government’s top infectious disease expert said on Sunday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, in a series of news broadcast interviews, said he is awaiting a decision when advisers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meet Friday to discuss the breakdown of the J&J single-dose vaccine.
“I would be very surprised if we don’t resume in some form by Friday,” he said. “I don’t really anticipate that they will want to stretch a little further.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, in a series of news interviews, said he is awaiting a decision when advisers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meet Friday to discuss the breakdown in the J&J single-dose vaccine.
Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said he believes federal regulators could bring fires back with age or gender restrictions or a general warning to be administered in a way “a little different” than I was before the break.
The J&J vaccine was in the tongue after the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration said last week that they needed more evidence to decide whether a handful of unusual blood clots were linked to the shooting – and if so, how high is the risk.
Reports are rare – six cases out of more than 7 million US J&J vaccinations. The clots were found in six women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died.
The FDA’s interim commissioner said the break was expected to last only a few days. However, last Tuesday’s decision triggered swift action in Europe and elsewhere.
Fauci said he seriously doubts that the US will permanently stop using the J&J vaccine.
The following vials contain Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at the National Jewish Hospital Pharmacy for distribution in Denver. Picture taken in March
“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” he said. “The break was to take a look, to make sure we know all the information we can have in this time frame, and also to warn some doctors out there who might see people, especially women, who they have this special adverse event, which they treat accordingly. ‘
“I think he will probably say, ‘OK, we’ll use it. But be careful in these circumstances. ”
More than 6.8 million doses of J&J vaccine have been administered in the United States, the vast majority without side effects or mild side effects. Authorities said they found no signs of clot problems with the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines in the United States – from Moderna and Pfizer.
Fauci has appeared on “Meet the Press,” “CNN,” “State of the Union,” “ABC,” “This Week,” and CBS, “Face the Nation.”