Fauci predicts U.S. resumption of J&J vaccine

Fauci predicts U.S. resumption of J&J vaccine

[NFA] Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday predicted that U.S. health regulators will end the temporary pause on distributing Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, adding he expects a decision could come as soon as Friday.

Freddie Joyner has more.

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on CBS' Face The Nation Sunday predicted that U.S. health regulators will end the temporary pause on distributing Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, adding he expects a decision could come as soon as Friday.

“...I would be very surprised, Margaret, if we don't have a resumption in some form by Friday.

A decision almost certainly will be made by Friday.

I don't really anticipate that they're going to want to stretch it out a bit longer.” U.S. health regulators recommended last week that use of the J&J vaccine be paused after reports of six cases of rare brain blood clots in women, out of some 7 million people who have received the shot in the United States.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel is set to meet on April 23 to discuss the next steps for the vaccine.

Fauci said he does not know what the final decision will be, but he predicts there will be a resumption.

“...one of the possibilities would be to bring them back, but to do it with some form of restriction or some form of warning.” Fauci on Sunday also laid out a possible timeline for when children could be vaccinated against COVID-19, predicting that by the first quarter of 2022 the U.S. will be able to vaccinate children of “virtually any age.”