How the pandemic has affected America’s children: Markowicz
New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz on schools being closed during the coronavirus pandemic its impact on children.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that while some questioned whether the FDA and CDC’s call to pause the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine rollout amid rare instances of blood clots would contribute to vaccine hesitancy, it could actually be viewed as a “positive issue,” and serve as a reminder of how seriously the agencies take safety.
Fauci, who was taking part in Wednesday’s COVID-19 White House briefing held hours before the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was set to meet regarding the one-dose jab’s safety data, also mentioned that work has already begun on the ground to address hesitancy with a Zoom call involving 2,000 community leaders Tuesday night.
“The fact that following the EUA, we have continued to follow very carefully any possibility of adverse events, I believe, is the other side of the coin of hesitancy,” Fauci said. “It should reinforce in those individuals how we take safety so seriously, so as opposed to looking at this as a negative safety issue, it could be looked at as a positive issue, where they know that when we let a vaccine be available and give it a go-ahead to be put into the arms of the American people, we do it with a considerable degree of confidence as to its safety. So when I get asked questions about whether or not this has set us back, from a hesitancy standpoint, I give the opposite of that.”
FDA CALL TO PAUSE JOHNSON & JOHNSON COVID-19 VACCINE ‘STRONG ARGUMENT FOR SAFETY,’ FAUCI SAYS
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients also added federal officials are working with state partners to help reschedule and shift appointments for Americans who were slated to receive the Johnson & Johnson product. He again repeated that the U.S. has “more than enough supply” to keep up with its current pace of administering around 3 million doses per day.
“As you know, yesterday the FDA and CDC announced that out of an abundance of caution they have recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as they review data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine,” Zients said. “I want to be clear that this announcement will not have a significant impact on our vaccination program. The J&J vaccine makes up less than 5% of the more than 190 million reported shots in arms in the U.S. to date.”
Zients said that 28 million doses of the Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are being shipped out this week. He added that President Biden’s initiative to move up production and delivery schedules for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna has also ensured that the country will secure enough doses for more than 300 million Americans by the end of July.
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