Watch: Ashish Jha Responds to Pfizer’s First COVID-19 Vaccine Data

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Dr Ashish Jha called on Monday Pfizer vaccine news – that early data on its COVID-19 vaccine suggests the vaccines could be 90% effective – a clear “positive step forward”.

The dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said in an interview on the “Today” show that the drug company update was “good news.”

“I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised,” Jha said. “We were all hoping to hear about a vaccine this month or early next. And I expected a vaccine to be 70% effective, if we were lucky. So it’s better than I expected.

The public health expert reminded viewers that there is still “early” in vaccine production and that it will take time to reach the American people. He said Pfizer still needed more data on how many doses it had before a clear schedule for the vaccine’s distribution could be established.

“But this is clearly a positive step forward,” he said.

The doctor stressed that even with the vaccine news, immediate action must be taken to deal with the growing spread of the virus across the country. The United States has broken previous records for new daily cases of coronavirus. The country surpassed 10 million cases on Sunday, with the daily number of cases over the past week averaging over 100,000 with 900 people dying on average every day, according to the New York Times.

Jha said a national mask warrant and widespread testing could make a “profound difference in bringing the virus under control.”

“We are probably entering the most difficult two months of the pandemic,” he said. “I expect a lot of people to get sick and die. We have to start to really play.

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