Hours after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration recommended a break from administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to adverse reactions in six women, Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke to “CBS Evening News “on what the decision means.
The following interview has been edited for more length and clarity.
CBS News: People who have just received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are worried. What should they keep in mind?
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Well, it depends on when they got it. This adverse event appears to occur between six and 13 days. So, if you had it a month or two ago, I think you really don’t have to worry about anything. If you are within a week or two of being vaccinated, remember one thing: it is a very rare fact. It’s less than a million. That said, you still want to be alert for some symptoms, such as intense headache, some difficulty moving or some chest discomfort, and difficulty breathing.
These are women of childbearing age. Does this suggest it could be hormonal?
Absolutely, and that’s one of the things we want to investigate. There have been similar types of phenomena that have occurred during pregnancy. Coagulation abnormalities are known in women taking birth control pills, so there could certainly be a hormonal aspect.
Do you think birth control could play a role?
We do not know. And this is one of the questions that will be asked about these people, was there anything in common between people taking birth control pills? At this time we do not know the answer.
You’ve pointed out that there’s less than a million chances that you have this. It is very, very rare. But will this fuel vaccine falter?
Well, sure that’s a concern. The question that is often asked, has something to do with the other vaccines, the mRNAs, of Moderna and Pfizer? You know, absolutely not. As you look at it, 121 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine. Only 6.85 million of them were J&J. The rest were Moderna and Pfizer, and there is no negative or adverse signal or red flag signal from any of these vaccines, which is good news. In other words, they are very safe.