Healthcare workers administer doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in San Rafael, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine represents only a small part of the current U.S. supply, but stopping its use could pose new obstacles to a vaccination campaign that needs to overcome the wider vaccination of the vaccine by overcome the rapid diffusion variants.
The separation of J&J, no matter how temporary, leaves the United States with two other traits that already formed the bulk of its vaccination campaign, from Pfizer Inc. i Moderna Inc. Vaccines from these two companies account for 95% of the shots assigned to the U.S. this week.
Pfizer chief executive said Tuesday that the company would speed up the promised deliveries of its shots to the United States in the coming weeks.
He The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration said in a joint statement Tuesday that they would pause the use of the J&J shot after six women who received it developed a rare and severe form. of blood clotting. The FDA indicated that the break would last a few days.
SEE: The White House says there is still enough vaccine to continue firing at its current pace.
The White House said Tuesday that the vaccine campaign could continue at its current pace. President Joe Biden told reporters that, between Pfizer and Moderna, “there is enough vaccine that is basically 100% unquestionable for every single American.”
Jeff Zients, the Covid-19 White House response coordinator, said in a briefing that “we have a lot to offer to continue our vaccination program and achieve our goals.”
If the break lasts just a few days, as officials suggest, cancellations and rescheduled appointments could create a slowdown similar to that of the winter storms prior to the vaccination campaign. But doubts about the safety of any of the vaccines available against Covid-19 could frustrate the U.S. vaccination campaign just as a big step is taking place.
“This will scare a lot of people, and rightly so,” said Noel Brewer, a professor of health behavior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We should all be concerned about the safety of the medicines we receive. In this case, there are not many reasons for concern. The real risk is very small. “
Anthony Fauci, one of Biden’s top medical advisors, said the scientists made the decision with great caution.
“You want to make sure security is an important issue. We are fully aware that this is a very rare fact; we want this to be resolved as quickly as we can, “Fauci said at the news conference.” I don’t think he was pressing the trigger too quickly. “
J&J’s shot has so far been only a small fraction of vaccines administered in the United States, although it was expected to play an increasing role in the future due to the convenience of a single dose. Of the 189.7 million doses administered in the United States to date, only 6.86 million are taken from J&J.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a tweet that the company increased vaccine production and “may deliver 10% more doses to the US by the end of May than previously agreed.” That means it would deliver a total of 220 million doses, up from the promised 200 million, and its entire order of 300 million doses by mid-July, two weeks ahead of schedule.
That would effectively mean a sufficient supply of Pfizer for 10 million more people by the end of May.
Pfizer has been expanding its facilities while adding contract suppliers and manufacturers, moves that have allowed the pharmaceutical giant to cut its production timeline by almost half and double production, a spokesman said in a statement.
Several states and pharmacy chains said Tuesday they would follow the recommendation. New York plans to vaccinate people who were supposed to receive the J&J shot with the Pfizer vaccine at state locations. Virginia said she will reschedule the appointments.
A supply of Pfizer and Moderna will be adequate to meet U.S. demand, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, as signs appear that the United States is beginning to move from a shortage of fire to a shortage of arranged receptors.
Chronology of vaccination
The United States expects to have received enough doses of Pfizer and Moderna by the end of May to completely vaccinate 200 million people. Expect enough doses from these companies in late July to vaccinate another 100 million.
Still, any long delay in the use of a shot could fuel the vaccine’s hesitation and call into question some of the Biden administration’s supply promises. The team has repeatedly said all shots are safe and has urged Americans to take what they can.
“This is an exceptional time for people to talk to their own healthcare provider to address their concerns,” Brewer said.
Biden relied on J&J when he announced that the United States will have enough shootings for all adults by the end of May, as promise officials have regularly reported in recent weeks.
Hesitation is a challenge the administration must address, Biden adviser Zients said.
“And we’re, as I spoke, going out to meet people where they are and following everything we’ve learned about who people trust: their doctor, their nurse, their faith leader,” he said.
The Biden administration has also pledged to increase equity in vaccinations, which have so far gone disproportionately to white people in a pandemic that has disproportionately sickened or killed people of color. The J&J feature was being widely used in community pharmacies and health centers, targeting at-risk communities, although Pfizer and Moderna continue to make up the vast majority of catches used in these programs.
Of the 16.1 million doses of J&J delivered in the United States to date, according to CDC data, many of the shots have been sent through the federal program to get shots at pharmacies, community health centers and vaccination sites that can deal with the most difficult accesses populations.
The J&J feature, which does not require the same cold storage conditions as Moderna and Pfizer, could also reduce the number of sites administering the feature if use is stopped for an extended period of time. This would jeopardize Biden’s commitment to making the vaccine available within five miles of 90% of Americans. The Biden team has stressed the need to make vaccines easily accessible.
Halt Pharmacy
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and CVS Health Corp. they immediately stop the administration of the J&J vaccine, company spokesmen said Tuesday. Pharmacies are two of about two dozen chains that receive vaccines directly from the federal government to try to increase the number of vaccination centers.
In recent weeks, the United States has made more than 25 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna available each week, and this week expects to have 28 million doses available, according to Zients. “This is a supply more than enough to continue the current rate of vaccinations of 3 million shots a day and meet the president’s goal of 200 million shots before his centenary day in office – and continue to reach all adults who want to get vaccinated, ”Zients said.
The U.S. vaccination effort has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, as a worsening outbreak caused by coronavirus variants is taking hold of the Midwestern West. And there is likely to be growing concern about vaccines worldwide after similar problems cause delays in the distribution of AstraZeneca Plc’s shot.
AstraZeneca has not sought U.S. authorization, but is already producing doses to fill a U.S. order placed last year. Biden’s team has not said what they will do with this stock, although some have urged it to give it to other nations.
AstraZeneca and J&J shots are the same “platform” or type of vaccine. Pfizer and Moderna photos are based on a different platform.
– With the assistance of Drew Armstrong and Jordan Fabian
(Updates with additional comments from the Pfizer spokesperson in paragraph 14. An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled the name Moderna Inc. on a deck holder.)