Fauci urges Americans to get any of the three COVID-19 vaccines available

By Andy Sullivan

 

FILE PHOTO: NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci addresses the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said on Sunday he would take the newly approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, as he encouraged Americans to accept any of the three approved shots.

 

"All three of them are really quite good, and people should take the one that's most available to them. If you go to a place and you have J&J, and that's the one that's available now, I would take it," Fauci said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

 

The U.S. government authorized Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, making it the third to be available in the country following ones from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Both of those vaccines require two doses and need to be shipped frozen. The J&J vaccine can be shipped and stored at normal refrigerator temperatures.

 

The J&J vaccine is expected to get final approval for widespread use on Sunday, and shipments are expected to begin Sunday or Monday.

 

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines showed higher efficacy rates in trials that used two doses versus J&J's single-shot vaccine. However, Fauci and other experts say direct comparison is difficult because the trials had different goals and J&J's was conducted while more contagious new variants of the virus were circulating.

 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, on Sunday urged Americans to take any of the three approved COVID-19 vaccines available to them, including the newly-authorized single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. Lisa Bernhard produced this report.

 

Fauci said studies are now underway to determine their effectiveness and safety for children under 18, who are less likely to get sick from the virus.

 

Elementary-school students could get doses toward the end of the year or the beginning of next year, while high-school students could get it in the fall, Fauci said.

 

The new vaccine gives the U.S. government another option as it tries to immunize as many Americans as quickly as possible. About 14% of Americans have received at least one dose so far, according to government data.

 

President Joe Biden has said there should be enough supply to vaccinate all Americans by the end of July.

 

COVID-19 has claimed more than half a million lives in the United States, and states are clamoring for more doses to stem cases, hospitalizations and deaths. (Graphic: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/)

 

Daily infections have declined dramatically since their January peak, and some states have begun to loosen restrictions on public gatherings. However, Fauci warned that caseloads could rise again if officials move too quickly.

 

"It's really too premature right now to be pulling back too much," he said.

 

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-01

 

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Good advice imo anything to blunt the impact of this scourge it definitely saves lives and if you did get it it’s less severe.Definetly another arrow in our collective quiver 

4 minutes ago, Tug said:

Good advice imo anything to blunt the impact of this scourge it definitely saves lives and if you did get it it’s less severe.Definetly another arrow in our collective quiver 

Going to be an up hill struggle to convince many Americans to be vaccinated......that puts us all at risk..... as it allows variants to pop up.

Well, OJ got his.  https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-oj-simpson-covid-vaccine-second-dose-20210225-x6ltsxedardqbbd2xutjcagdou-story.html

That's great send the J&J vaccine to Thailand, many of us are waiting with rolled up sleeves!

3 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

That's great send the J&J vaccine to Thailand, many of us are waiting with rolled up sleeves!

I’m sure we will once we get our own house in order 

4 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

That's great send the J&J vaccine to Thailand, many of us are waiting with rolled up sleeves!

Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be part of the plan in Thailand. 

Thankfully, there are some intelligent Americans living in the USA,   Dr. Fauci,  being one of them.

    That country need a lot of luck.  Even watching and hearing the Singers, Actors and Actresses and good hearted people letting the rest know that it is important to get one of the 3 vaccines, is encouraging.

Geezer