Pause on J&J shots may end this week
The pause on using the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will probably be lifted by Friday, although some restrictions may be required, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told “Face the Nation” on CBS that “you don’t want to jump ahead of yourself and decide you know the total spectrum of this, which is one of the reasons why they paused and why hopefully by Friday we’ll know.”
Fauci, who also took his message to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said he doubts the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will “just cancel” the J&J vaccine and continue allowing only the two-dose vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.
“Everything is on the table,” Fauci said. “My estimate is that we will continue to use it in some form. I doubt very seriously if they just cancel it. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I do think that there will likely be some sort of warning or restriction or risk assessment.”
States began halting use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine last week after federal health officials recommended a pause “out of an abundance of caution” because of rare but dangerous blood clots.
Fauci’s comments came one day before the deadline President Joe Biden set for states to make all American adults eligible for a vaccine. The April 19 deadline is two weeks earlier than the president’s original goal of May 1.
Nearly 265 million doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 205 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
Moderna, Pfizer say two-shot vaccines may require boosters
The CEOs of Moderna and Pfizer are now acknowledging that their twodose vaccines likely will require a third shot. Moderna’s Stephane Bancel said it’s not clear how long after the first two shots that will be. Bancel told Fox Business News that “the variant is going to be the big question in terms of boosting.”
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla earlier said people will probably need a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech within 12 months of being fully vaccinated. Annual shots also may be needed, Bourla said.
Death toll tops 3M globally
The global death toll from the coronavirus topped a staggering 3 million people Saturday. The number of lives lost, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is more than the population of Chicago (2.7 million) and equivalent to Philadelphia and Dallas combined. The true number is believed to be significantly higher because of possible government concealment and the many cases overlooked in the early stages of the outbreak.
The world passed 2 million deaths in January, when immunization drives had just started in Europe and the United States. Today, they are underway in more than 190 countries.
The U.S. has more than 31 million confirmed cases and 566,000 deaths. Also in the news:
h New Jersey, Massachusetts and Oregon were among several states set to open vaccine availability to every adult Monday. As more states lift restrictions, Oregon is poised to go the opposite direction. A top health official is considering indefinitely extending rules requiring masks and social distancing in all businesses.
h France will begin to lift restrictions on travel with the U.S. and other non-European Union nations starting next month, President Emmanuel Macron told CBS News. Ideally, he said, travel would be open “for U.S. citizens who are vaccinated, with a special pass,” suggesting a so-called vaccine certificate or passport.