Decisions On J&J Vaccine Use Likely By Friday, Fauci Says
In weekend interviews, Dr. Anthony Fauci also predicted that the pause on Johnson & Johnson's covid shot would be lifted, though perhaps with warnings or restrictions.
CBS News:
Fauci Expects Decision On Whether To Resume Johnson & Johnson Vaccine By Friday
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, said Sunday he believes there will be a decision over whether to end the pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine by Friday. "A decision almost certainly will be made by Friday," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview on "Face the Nation." "I don't really anticipate that they're going to want to stretch it out a bit longer, in one way or the other, make a decision about J&J. I don't know what that's going to be, but thinking about what the possibilities are, one of the possibilities would be to bring them back, but to do it with some form of restriction or some form of warning. But I believe by Friday we're going to know the answer to that." (Quinn, 4/18)
Politico:
'I Doubt Very Seriously If They Just Cancel' Paused J&J Vaccine, Fauci Says
Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, predicted Sunday that the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine will continue to be used "in some form," though it could come with a warning or restriction. Asked in interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" whether it's more likely the vaccine will still be used with some restriction or not used at all, Fauci stressed that "everything is on the table" but estimated the vaccine won't just be shelved after federal agencies called for a pause in its use last week. (O'Brien, 4/18)
In related news about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine —
The Atlantic:
The Danger Of A ‘Dudes Only’ Vaccine
The Johnson & Johnson shot is teetering on the precipice of becoming America’s “dudes only” vaccine. On Tuesday, the CDC and FDA advised halting the vaccine’s nationwide rollout to investigate six cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder that’s occurred in people within about two weeks of receiving the vaccine—all of them women under the age of 50. In an emergency meeting convened Wednesday by the CDC, experts raised the possibility of limiting its future use to males, reserving Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, as some have unfortunately put it, for johnsons alone. (Wu, 4/16)
Roll Call:
Johnson & Johnson Pause Slows Vaccines For Homeless, Homebound
The pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may be jeopardizing access for some of the trickiest people to vaccinate, public health experts say. While the pause won't make much of a dent in overall supply because of pre-existing manufacturing issues, the vaccine has unique properties that make it easy to use. It's stable at refrigerator temperatures and can be transported without cumbersome freezers or dry ice. The single-shot vaccine was ideal for reaching people without cellphones and remote homebound seniors who required long trips to reach. (Kopp, 4/16)
Los Angeles Times:
How FDA's Pause On Johnson & Johnson May Affect Global Rollout
More than a billion people around the world have been waiting for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — a cheap, easy-to-transport, one-dose injection that reduces the risk from COVID-19. Now the global rollout has been thrown into doubt. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which this week recommended that use of the vaccine be paused while scientists study a possible link to extremely rare blood clots, has no authority outside the United States. But many countries follow its lead. (Baumgaertner, 4/17)
KHN:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Pause And Effect On Covid Vaccines
The effort to vaccinate Americans against covid-19 took a hit [last] week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration jointly called for a pause in use of the vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson while experts try to figure out whether it is responsible for a small number of serious blood clots, mostly in women of childbearing age. (4/16)
In related news about blood clots —
The New York Times:
‘We Were Flying Blind’: A Dr.’s Account Of A Woman’s J.&J. Vaccine-Related Blood Clot Case
An 18-year-old woman was stricken with severe headaches, vomiting, seizures, confusion and weakness in one arm early this month, strokelike symptoms that doctors at a Nevada hospital were shocked to see in someone so young. Scans found several large blood clots blocking veins that drain blood from the brain, a condition that can disable or kill a patient. Doctors performed a procedure to suction huge clots from her brain, only to find that new ones had formed. (Grady, 4/16)
CIDRAP:
Scientists Tie Platelet Factor 4 To AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine-Related Clots
UK researchers have uncovered the novel mechanism behind rare abnormal blood clotting seen in some AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine recipients, according to a study today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study involved clinical and lab evaluation of 23 previously healthy patients who experienced blood clots and thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts) 6 to 24 days after receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Most clots were cerebral venous thrombosis, while some were arterial thrombosis and venous thromboembolisms such as pulmonary embolisms. (4/16)
