Don’t fret over vaccine, and hey Murphy can you quit it?
First things first: The “pause” requested by the FDA when it comes to the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine should be seen solely as a precaution, and not - I repeat, not - seen as any proof whatsoever that the vaccine is hazardous.
Understand this: Of the seven million J&J doses given out in America, six - six! - women have experienced blood clots sometime after receiving the vaccine. This doesn’t even mean the vaccine caused the blood clots; it just means six out of seven million women experienced a blood clot post-vaccine. We’re talking one out of roughly 1.16 million people.
For comparison’s sake, studies have shown that 8 out of 100 people with COVID develop blood clots. Feeling lucky?
And get this: One in a thousand women who take birth control pills will develop a blood clot as a direct result of the pill, and no one is rushing to get the pill off the market despite the 1000% higher risk.
So to be clear: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, out of an abundance of caution, is being paused to make sure the blood clot risk is due to the vaccine, and if so, who should and should not get it going forward. But again: Six people out of seven million. It is the same odds - literally - as being struck by lightning in any given year.
OK. So now that that’s out of the way, let me get back to my regularly scheduled column, which I’ll summarize in all-caps in case I bored people with my statistics above: HEY GOV. PHIL MURPHY, WILL YA PLEASE GIVE US GUIDANCE AS TO WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO LIFT ALL THE COVID RESTRICTIONS SHEESH OH MAN ALREADY?
Hate to do this, but I have another stat for you: At the time of this writing, nearly 3.5 million New Jersey adults have had (at least) their first coronavirus vaccine shot. Murphy said he wants 70% of the adult population vaccinated. Well guess what? That would mean 4.8 million of us, which means we’re 73% of our way to that 70% number, at least in first doses.
And guess what? The first dose is ridiculously effective at preventing COVID for quite a while until you get your second dose. I know this because in England, the government stopped giving second doses in an effort to get first doses into as many people as possible. And it worked.
The United Kingdom and America have given out roughly the same number, per capita, of vaccinations. The difference is in the UK 48% of people have been given at least their first shot, whereas only 36% of Americans have. These numbers play out in the “fully vaccinated” section, where 22% of us are fully vaxxed compared to 12% of people across the pond.
But dig this: Their death rate has plummeted below ours. The one-shot strategy is working. And no wonder: A CDC study of real-world conditions showed that two weeks after getting the first shot of Moderna or Pfizer, people are 90% (or more) protected against the virus.
And while I think it would be swell to switch to this strategy here in America, I don’t think it’s going to happen.
What I also don’t think is going to happen is this: Murphy putting his money where his mouth is with this “data determines dates’’ schtick. Because the data is staring him in the face. Right now, 3.5 million adults in New Jersey have at least 90% vaccine protection against the virus. Another who knows how many have antibodies as a result of being exposed to the virus. In short: We are well over that 70% number Murphy wants. In shorter short: It’s time to really consider lifting all restrictions, or - and this is really the bigger point - letting us know when that date is going to happen.
The pandemic portion of the program is (thankfully) over. We’re not going to overwhelm the hospitals, which was the whole point of shutting things down and restricting everything in the first place. Those were the correct decisions then. But now? It’s time, Phil.
The worst part is let’s say Murphy has it in his head that nothing will change until we hit that 70% number of fully vaccinated adults. OK, fine. Not scientifically sound, but fine. If that’s the case, then the least he could do is come out and say that that’s when he’ll lift all restrictions. My worry? We’re going to get to 70% and he’s going to continue to slow-roll a full reopening.
Give us some hope, Gov. Tell us at your press conference when you’re going to end this. Give us a hard date, based on data. Enough is enough.