Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Don't Hold Out: Officials Voice Confidence In All Three Available Vaccines
CNBC: Fauci: All Three Covid Vaccines Highly Effective, Urges People To Take Available Shot
White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday he would take the newly approved Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine and urged Americans to take whichever shot is available when they are eligible. (Newburger, 2/28)
Bloomberg: Fauci Rejects Possible Vaccine Arbitrage Between Three Choices
Anthony Fauci pushed back against any tendency to shop around or wait for a preferred coronavirus vaccine among the three that are now approved for use in the U.S. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was asked on ABC’s “This Week” about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which got the go-ahead on Saturday from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The one-dose J&J shot was found to be highly effective at preventing severe Covid-19, but has a lower efficacy rate than the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. vaccines, raising concerns that some people may opt to wait rather than being vaccinated with it. (Riley and Krasny, 2/28)
CBS News: Gottlieb Says Americans "Should Be Confident" About Taking Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said Americans should be "confident" about taking the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, with millions of doses set to join the fight against the coronavirus in the coming days. "There is more and more evidence that these vaccines are preventing transmission of infection, which makes them an even more important public health tool," Gottlieb said in an interview on "Face the Nation." "I think people should be confident about taking it. And it will be in the market this week." (Hayes, 2/28)
KHN: When Your Chance For A Covid Shot Comes, Don’t Worry About The Numbers
When getting vaccinated against covid-19, there’s no sense being picky. You should take the first authorized vaccine that’s offered, experts say. The newest covid vaccine on the horizon, from Johnson & Johnson, is probably a little less effective at preventing sickness than the two shots already being administered around the U.S., from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. On Saturday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reporting it showed about 66% effectiveness at preventing covid illness in a 45,000-person trial. No one who received the vaccine was hospitalized with or died of the disease, according to the data released by the company and FDA. As many as 4 million doses could be shipped out of J&J’s warehouses beginning this week. (Allen and Szabo, 2/28)
In updates about side effects —
CNBC: J&J: 2 People Had Severe Allergic Reactions After Getting Covid Vaccine
Two trial participants suffered severe allergic reactions shortly after getting Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, a J&J scientist told an FDA panel on Friday. J&J was first informed on Wednesday about the allergic reactions, Macaya Douoguih, head of clinical development and medical affairs for J&J’s vaccines division Janssen, told the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. (Lovelace Jr., 2/26)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: What You Need To Know About The New Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine
Among the study participants, the most common side effects were soreness at the injection site, headaches, fatigue and muscle pain. Those were generally mild to moderate and more common in those ages 18 to 59 than to older participants in the trials. ... Two people suffered severe allergic reactions shortly after getting the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, a J&J scientist told the FDA panel Friday. One of the people was participating in an ongoing trial in South Africa and developed anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, after getting the vaccine. There were previously no reports of anaphylaxis in J&J’s clinical trial. (Oliviero, 2/28)
CNN: How The Johnson And Johnson Vaccine Is Different From The Others: Dosage, Efficacy, Protection, Technology
Two vaccines are already being distributed in the US -- one made by Moderna and another made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The new vaccine, made by Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine division, is a little different. Here's how. (Fox, 3/1)
