[ad_1]
WASHINGTON: Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease official, said on Sunday (February 28) that he would take Johnson & Johnson’s recently approved COVID-19 vaccine as it encouraged Americans to accept. any of the three approved injections.
“All three are really pretty good, and people should take the one that is most available to them. If you go to a place and you have J&J, and that’s the one that is available now, I would take it,” Fauci said in “Meet the press “from NBC.
LEE: US authorizes Johnson & Johnson’s single injection COVID-19 vaccine
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine was licensed by the U.S. government on Saturday, making it the third to be available in the country after those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Both vaccines require two doses and must be shipped frozen. J&J vaccine can be shipped and stored at normal refrigerator temperatures.
The J&J vaccine is expected to gain final approval for widespread use on Sunday, and shipments are expected to begin Sunday or Monday.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines showed higher efficacy rates in trials using two doses compared to J & J’s single injection vaccine. However, Fauci and other experts say direct comparison is difficult because the trials had different objectives and the J&J were carried out while new, more contagious variants of the virus were circulating.
READ: US Expert Panel Recommends Authorizing Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
READ: Johnson & Johnson’s Single Shot COVID-19 Vaccine Is Effective And Safe – FDA Staff
Fauci said studies are underway to determine its effectiveness and safety for children under 18, who are less likely to get sick from the virus.
Elementary school students could receive the doses towards the end of the year or early next, while high school students could receive them in the fall, Fauci said.
The new vaccine gives the US government another option, as it tries to immunize as many Americans as quickly as possible. About 14 percent of Americans have received at least one dose so far, according to government data.
President Joe Biden has said there should be enough supply to vaccinate all Americans by the end of July.
READ: US $ 1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Plan Passes US House And Heads Senate
COVID-19 has claimed more than half a million lives in the United States, and states are crying out for more doses to stop cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Daily infections have dropped dramatically since their peak in January, and some states have begun to relax restrictions on public gatherings. However, Fauci warned that the number of cases could rise again if officials move too quickly.
“It’s really too early at this point to go too far back,” he said.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
