Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday defended the decision by federal health officials to recommend a pause on giving out the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine while they study the serious illnesses that developed in six American women.
“The pause not only allows us to take a look at the cases and learn more, but it is also a signal out there to help the physicians,” Fauci told reporters at a Tuesday press briefing, referencing a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration that distribution of J&J’s vaccine temporarily end. Officials are investigating a “rare and severe” blood clot that developed in six women after they had received the vaccine, including one who died.
Fauci, President Joe Biden’s medical adviser and director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said the 6.85 million Americans who have already received the vaccine had little to be concerned about.
“Someone who maybe had it a month or two ago would say, what does this mean for me? It really doesn’t mean anything. You’re OK, because if you look at the … timeframe when this occurs, it’s pretty tight, from a few days, six to 13 days, from the time of the vaccination.”
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday announced they were recommending a pause in the use of the vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.”
The FDA authorized the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in late February. The vaccine is cheaper, can be transported and stored for up to three months using regular refrigeration, unlike the two other vaccines which need freezers, and requires only one shot.
Acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock told reporters that the investigation of these “extremely rare” events would move forward rapidly and could conclude within days.
“Did we pull the trigger too soon on this because it was such a rare event?” Fauci said. “Well, you know, our FDA is internationally known for their capability of making sure that we have the safest products out there. and that’s what I meant when I said an ‘abundance’ of caution. … We want to get this worked out as quickly as we possibly can, and that’s why you see the word ‘pause.
“We want to hold off for a bit and very well may go back … maybe with some conditions, or maybe not, but we want to leave that up to the FDA and the CDC to investigate this carefully,” he added. “I don’t think it was pulling the trigger too quickly.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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