>> MR. MAYOR, MICHAELKE ELLIOTT
BROOKLYN CENTER, THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME.
>>> WE HAVE TO GET TO THIS OTHER
BREAKING STORY.
AS WE SPEAK, THE FDA AND CDC
ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE NOW
RECOMMENDING A PAUSE IN THE USE
OF JOHNSON & JOHNSONS VACCINE.
THE MOVE, BOTH AGENCIES SAYING,
IS TAKEN OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF
CAUTION AS OFFICIALS ARE
INVESTIGATING SAFETY ISSUES WITH
THAT SHOT.
WE WANT TO GET TO OUR MEDICAL
CONTRIBUTOR, DR. NATALIE AZAR,
WHO JOINS US NOW.
I HAVE TO SAY, THIS IS A
STUNNING DEVELOPMENT.
WERE IN THE MIDST OF A MASS
VACCINATION CAMPAIGN, USING,
AMONG OTHERS, THIS JOHNSON &
JOHNSON SINGLE DOSE SHOT.
NOW, FOR THE FDA TO PAUSE IT
BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL HEALTH
CONCERNS, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
IT?
WHAT HAVE YOU READ IN THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT?
>> WELL, SAVANNAH, CERTAINLY, I
DONT THINK I CAN OVERSTATE HOW
SERIOUS THIS DEVELOPMENT IS.
YOU KNOW, WEVE BEEN FOLLOWING
NOW FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS THE
STORY FROM THE UK AND THE
CONCERN ABOUT THESE RARE
CLOTTING EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH
THE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE.
WE JUST STARTED HEARING REPORTS
THAT A SIMILAR SITUATION COULD
BE OCCURRING HERE IN THE U.S.,
SAVANNAH, WITH THE JOHNSON &
JOHNSON SACKSVACCINE.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT A
COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE, THESE ARE NOT TYPICAL BLOOD
CLOTS WE TYPICALLY THINK OF, IN
THE LEG, FOR EXAMPLE.
THOSE OCCUR WITH A FREQUENCY OF
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PER YEAR.
RATHER, THESE ARE RARER EVENTS.
THEYRE TERMED A CEREBRAL VENUS
THROMBOSIS, A CLOT IN THE VEINS
OF THE BRAIN, THOUGHT TO BE
TRIGGERED BY AN IMMUNE REACTION.
THATS WHY WERE SEEING THIS
PREDOMINANTLY IN YOUNGER WOMEN.
IT CAN ALSO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A
DROP IN THE PLATELET COUNT.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT,
SAVANNAH, I WANT TO REINFORCE
THIS, THAT THESE ARE VERY, VERY
RARE EVENTS, CLEARLY.
WE DO SEE, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT
SOMETIMES THIS CAN HAPPEN
OUTSIDE OF OR AFTER THE CLINICAL
TRIAL.
REMEMBER, THE CLINICAL TRIAL
ENROLLED, YOU KNOW, TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PARTICIPANTS.
NOW, WERE VACCINATING MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE.
UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETIMES, THE
RARER EVENTS CAN EMERGE,
SAVANNAH.
>> IM LOOKING AT WHAT THE FDA
SAID ONLINE.
THEY CALLED IT EXTREMELY RARE,
ECHOING WHAT YOU SAID.
LETS GET TO THE NUMBERS.
MORE THAN 6.8 MILLION DOSES OF
THIS J&J VACCINE HAVE BEEN
ADMINISTERED IN THE U.S., AND
THE FDA IS REVIEWING SIX
REPORTED CASES OF THIS
PARTICULAR BLOOD CLOT THAT
YOUVE JUST DESCRIBED.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW SOMEBODY IN MY
LIFE PERSONALLY WHO JUST GOT THE
VACCINE, THE J&J, YESTERDAY, A
YOUNG WOMAN.
WHO SHOULD ANYONE BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR IF THEY ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR OWN
HEALTH, READING A HEADLINE LIKE
THIS?
>> SO THE SYMPTOMS OF A LOW
PLATELET WOULD BE EASY BRUISING,
NOSE BLEEDING, GUM BLEEDING, FOR
EXAMPLE.
ANYBODY, OF COURSE, WHO DEVELOPS
A SIGNIFICANT HEADACHE AFTER
RECEIVING THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON
VACCINE, I WOULD CERTAINLY ALERT
YOUR DOCTOR TO THAT.
IT APPEARS THAT THIS OCCURRED
ROUGHLY ONE WEEK TO THREE WEEKS
POST VACCINATION.
AGAIN, THAT IS IN LINE WITH WHAT
WE KNOW THAT MOST ADVERSE EVENTS
DO HAPPEN, RELATIVELY QUICKLY,
YOU KNOW, AFTER THE VACCINATION.
CERTAINLY, SAVANNAH, I CAN
UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAS --
ANYONE WHO HAS RECEIVED THE
VACCINE, AND CERTAINLY
REGULATORS ARE VERY, VERY
CONCERNED.
YOU KNOW, I DO THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT TO STATE, OF COURSE,
THAT IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE, THE BENEFIT WOULD FAR
OUTWEIGH THIS RISK.
THE PROBLEM IS WE DONT YET KNOW
HOW TO IDENTIFY SOMEBODY WHO
WOULD BE AT RISK, OTHER THAN IT
APPEARS TO BE IN YOUNGER PEOPLE
AND MORE PREDOMINANTLY IN
FEMALE.
BIRTH CONTROL, THINGS LIKE THAT
COULD PLAY A PART, AND WE DONT
KNOW YET.
>> THATS WHY, OF COURSE, THE
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ARE ISSUING
THIS PAUSE, BRIEFLY, SAYING IT
IS EXTREMELY RARE.
WE WANT TO KEEP IT IN PERFECT
PERSPECTIVE
PERSPECTIVE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, DR. AZAR,
WHEN I THINK OF WHERE THIS
COUNTRY IS RIGHT NOW AND THE
PANDEMIC, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF
JOHNSON & JOHNSONS SINGLE DOSE
VACCINE IN INOCULATING THIS
COUNTRY AND TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH
HERD IMMUNITY, TRYING TO GET
THIS COUNTRY BACK ON ITS FEET
AND REOPENING AGAIN, AND
THINKING ABOUT VACCINE
SCEPTICISM, THERE ARE A LOT OF
ISSUES THAT ARE RAISED HERE.
>> THERE ARE.
AGAIN, I DONT THINK THAT WE CAN
SAY THAT THIS ISNT A
SIGNIFICANT SETBACK FOR ALL THE
REASONS YOU MENTIONED.
THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE
REALLY, REALLY WILL BE, I THINK,
IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A
POWERFUL TOOL IN THE ARSENAL.
WERE JUST VERY, VERY FORTUNATE
THAT WE STILL HAVE SUCH A GOOD
AND SIGNIFICANT BUFFERER ERWITH
THE mRNA VACCINES, SAVANNAH.
>> DR. AZAR, THANK YOU ON THE
BREAKING NEWS.
APPRECIATE IT.
>> THERE WILL BE A LOT OF
QUESTIONS AND CONCERN.
>> WELL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW IT.
I GUESS THE GOOD NEWS, IF