Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine should have been a two-dose vaccine to begin with, but was clear that people who received it should not be concerned in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
“I think that they should feel good about it, because what the advisers to the FDA felt is that, given the data that they saw, very likely, this should have been a two-dose vaccine to begin with, the White House’s chief medical advisor said.
“So, the idea of making a recommendation that people who originally received J&J should receive a second dose 18 or older with none of the restrictions about whether or not you’re at a high risk or not at a high risk, is that everyone who received that first dose of J&J who are 18 and older should receive it. So I think that’s a very good thing and I think it’s very favorable for those who have received the J&J vaccine. I don’t see that as a problem at all,” Fauci continued.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory panel unanimously recommended a second booster shot for all J&J recipients 18 years and older.
In the interview, ABC’s Martha Raddatz asked the doctor about new data that suggests J&J recipients may be better off getting a booster shot from the more effective Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccines.
“That is true, the data you referred to, that if you boost people who have originally received J&J with either Moderna or Pfizer, the level of antibodies that you induce in them is much higher than if you boost them with the original J&J,” Fauci responded.
He went on to explain how the FDA will review clinical and laboratory data to compare the studies and determine what they will authorize.
Once an authorization is made, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that advises the CDC will make a recommendation for people who have received the J&J, Fauci explained.
Raddatz then asked Fauci how people can determine their safest route with vaccines.
“You know Martha, I think it’s going to be variable depending on who you are. For example, a woman of childbearing age who would have almost no issues at all with a possible adverse event of myocarditis, which you see rarely but you do see it with the mRNA vaccine, that person might want to opt for that approach. If you are a young man who does have that very, very rare risk of getting a myocarditis, you might want to take the J&J route,” Fauci said.
The medical advisor added that the FDA in their authorization and the CDC in their recommendation will likely give a degree of flexibility based on the individual’s situation.
The J&J booster shot is recommended at least two months after the first dose, compared to six months later for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
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