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WASHINGTON – Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that emergency approval of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine this weekend now gives the nation three ‘highly effective vaccines’ on the market that offer significant protection against Covid- 19, and urged Americans to take whatever is available. to them when they become eligible.
In an interview with “Meet the Press,” Fauci said he would take one of three approved vaccines – from Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson – because all of them offer strong protection against serious illnesses linked to the coronavirus. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci was vaccinated late last year amid an early surge to instill confidence in the vaccine rollout.
“All three of them are really, really good, and people should take whichever is most available to them,” he said.
“If you go to a place and you have J&J, and that’s the one that’s available now, I would take it. Personally, I would do the same. I think people need to get vaccinated as quickly and as possible. quickly possible. “
The Food and Drug Administration approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine urgently on Saturday, a day after its advisory committee recommended the approval. The company expects to have 20 million doses available by March.
The new vaccine differs from the other two previously approved vaccines because it is a single vaccine and does not require a second dose to be given weeks later. Documents released by the FDA found the vaccine to be 86% effective in preventing serious illness overall – 72% in the United States and 64% in South Africa, which has seen a new strain of the disease develop. important.
Although these efficacy rates are lower than those of Moderna and Pfizer injections, Fauci told “Meet the Press” that Americans should not try to compare the efficacy figures of injections side by side because each injection has been examined in a different trial amid different circumstances. For example, public health officials have been more concerned in recent weeks about the increase in variants that could eventually escape vaccines.
“It’s not the weakest vaccine, these are all three very good vaccines,” Fauci said of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
There have been more than 28.6 million coronavirus infections in America and more than 514,000 deaths attributed to the virus, according to an NBC News analysis. The number of new daily cases has fallen in recent weeks – the seven-day average of daily new cases stands at around 70,000, the lowest since October. And the country’s vaccination rate has improved as well, with more than 68 million doses administered, according to NBC News.
Even so, deaths are falling more slowly than new cases. And Fauci has warned government officials that the drop in cases should not lead to an easing of restrictions just yet, as there are still too many viruses circulating in the country and he fears the decline could lead to another. peak.
“We have been in this situation before,” he said. “When you start to see a drop in the number of cases, if you prematurely lift the restrictions, we have a few examples of a rebound. Our daily infection baseline now, although it’s down well from 300,000, more, per day, fell to about 70,000, this baseline is too high. “
“Let’s keep our feet on the accelerator now because we are going in the right direction.
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