J&J board member Dr. Mark McClellan shares a view on the impact of the newly approved coronavirus vaccine.
Despite an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States, the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, warned during a news conference on Monday that she remains “deeply concerned about a possible change in the pandemic trajectory “.
Walensky, citing the agency’s most recent data, said the recent drops in COVID-19 cases have stabilized at around 70,000 cases a day.
“You know, the goal is not to open trips, open all, you know, things because people – you know, we are increasing vaccination. The goal in those first 100 days has always been to make sure that we are in one place to get out of this pandemic, “said Walensky. “With 70,000 cases a day, we’re not in that place right now. So while we may have, you know, individual-level guidance, as Dr. Fauci suggested, I think we all need to keep an eye on the fact that we’re not out yet. of danger here. “
CDC SIGNS DISCONNECTED IN THE JOHNSON VACCINE AND SINGLE DOSE COVID-19
According to the CDC, the average number of cases in the last seven days – about 67,200 – represents an increase of just over 2% over the previous seven days. Likewise, the most recent average of deaths in seven days has increased by more than 2% over the previous seven days to almost 2,000 deaths per day.
“With these new statistics, I am really concerned by reports that more states are reversing the exact public health measures that we recommend to protect people from COVID-19,” she added. “I understand the temptation to do that. Seventy thousand cases a day looked good compared to where we were a few months ago. But we cannot settle for 70,000 cases a day, 2,000 deaths daily.”
While Walensky noted that the CDC is “actively working” on guidance on when it will be safe for Americans to start activities like travel again, she emphasized that between the current level of cases and the risk of spreading variants, the United States could “completely lose out” the terrain conquered with a lot of effort “reopens very quickly.
“These variants are a very real threat to our people and our progress. Now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know can prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, not when we are so close, she said. “We have the capacity to prevent a potential fourth increase in cases in this country. Please remain firm in your belief. Keep wearing your tight-fitting mask and taking the other public health prevention actions that we know will work. “
Walensky said that vaccination is the key to getting the United States out of the pandemic and that to get there, many more Americans need to be vaccinated.
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On Sunday, Walensky signed a recommendation from the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical COVID-19 vaccine should be used for emergency use in individuals 18 years of age or older.
“The Janssen vaccine is a much-needed addition to our toolbox and increases the number of vaccine doses available, and makes it possible for more people to be vaccinated and protected from COVID-19,” said Walensky on Monday.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JNJ | JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 159.32 | +0.86 | + 0.54% |
| PFE | PFIZER INC. | 33.70 | +0.18 | + 0.54% |
| BTNX | n / a | n / a | n / a | n / a |
| MRNA | MODERNA, INC. | 157.40 | +2.59 | + 1.67% |
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the third for the United States, after previous emergency use approvals for vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna. Unlike the other two vaccines available, Johnson & Johnson’s requires a single dose and does not need to be kept in the freezer.
According to an FDA analysis, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was about 67% effective in preventing moderate to severe cases within 14 days of dosing and 66% effective against severe to critical cases after 28 days. In addition, the vaccine was approximately 77% effective in preventing severe or critical COVID-19 occurring at least 14 days after vaccination and 85% effective in preventing severe or critical COVID-19 occurring at least 28 days after vaccination .
Meanwhile, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 95% and 94.1% effective, respectively.
ACIP does not declare a preference for a specific COVID-19 vaccine. Instead, the group of independent health experts encourages individuals to receive any of the available vaccines as early as possible.
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According to the most recent data from the CDC, more than 76 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States, with nearly 50 million Americans receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Deliveries of Johnson & Johnson’s initial supply of 3.9 million doses of vaccine to state health departments, pharmacies, qualified federal health centers and community vaccination centers across the country are expected as early as Tuesday.
Johnson & Johnson scientific director Paul Stoffels told FOX Business on Monday that the company expects to deliver enough single injection vaccines by the end of March to vaccinate more than 20 million Americans, and 100 million by the end of June. The company is also on track to produce 1 billion doses for global distribution by the end of 2021.