J&J vax may be back
Fauci: Friday could be day for paused shot
Distribution of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine, put on pause last week due to limited reports of possible side effects, could come back this week, the country’s top infectious disease expert predicted Sunday.
“I doubt very seriously if they just cancel it,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NBC’s “Meet the Press. I do think that there will likely be some sort of warning or restriction or risk assessment.”
He predicted that by Friday authorities may greenlight the J&J vaccine with a caveat along the lines of, “OK, we’re going to use it, but be careful under these certain circumstances.”
Last Tuesday, the feds urged states to stop distributing the J&J vaccine following a small number of reports of blood clots that may be linked to the shots. Government health advisers said Wednesday they were still evaluating how big a risk the J&J shots may present.
Earlier this month, the United
Kingdom moved to restrict use of the AstraZeneca vaccine by young people, citing reports of blood clots. That vaccine is yet to be approved in the U.S.
Fauci said there wasn’t enough information about possible J&J side effects to make targeted restrictions last week.
“It would have been too early to have restrictions without looking more closely at it,” he said of the across-the-board pause.
About 234,000 J&J shots have been administered in New York City to date. Officials said those with appointments for the J&J jab would be rescheduled for Pfizer or Moderna doses instead. Unlike those vaccines, the J&J variety takes just one shot.
More than 5 million COVID vaccine doses have been given out in the Big Apple to date, according to the city Health Department.
Statewide, more than 13 million doses have been given out, meaning about four in 10 New Yorkers have gotten at least one shot, according to Gov. Cuomo’s office. Half of all adults in the country — nearly 130 million people — have received a shot, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Sunday.
“Our progress is strong and steady, but so is the capability of this virus, which is why we cannot afford to lose any of the tremendous progress we’ve made,” the governor said in a Sunday statement.
The state’s latest average COVID positivity rate dropped below 3% for the first time since Nov. 24, Cuomo’s office said Sunday. The state recorded 35 COVID deaths on Saturday, the lowest number since Nov. 22.
Still, outbreaks remained at high levels in parts of the city, with tests coming back positive in the 8%9% range in pockets of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, according to the city Health Department. The infection rate also remained high throughout Staten Island.
Fauci said even if you get jabbed, you should keep wearing a mask.
“You might get infected and get absolutely no symptoms, not know you’re infected, and then inadvertently go into a situation with vulnerable people,” the doc said. “And if you don’t have a mask, you might inadvertently infect them.”