Paula Lugones
04/13/2021 16:01
Clarín.com
World
Updated 04/13/2021 5:24 PM
For a few months now, the great topic of conversation in homes and in meetings with friends in the
United States
has been the Covid vaccine.
But the question now is not “did you get vaccinated?”, As is the case in Argentina, but how is the sensation or
the effects after
the second dose, or if your adolescent child has already received the vaccine.
It is that the campaign in this country has been advancing
so rapidly
that millions of Americans are already immunized with two doses,
all those over 16
are vaccinated
and even the extension to those over 12 is under study.
The novelty of the suspension of the application of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, announced this Tuesday, may have some impact on that landscape that was optimistic, although
not serious.
The United States has more than 1.3 billion doses purchased and stored, mostly from Pfizer and Moderna.
The White House issued a statement to calm the waters.
He said the suspension
"will not have a significant impact
on the vaccination plan" as the J&J vaccine represents less than 5% of the doses supplied in the US And that "the United States has secured sufficient doses from Pfizer and Moderna for 300 million Americans ”.
The supply, in addition, "reaches the objective of applying 200 million vaccines in 100 days of government."
President Joe Biden's goal of having all adults eligible to get vaccinated by mid-April and celebrate "independence" from the virus on July 4 loomed well, with records of up to 4.5 million daily applications, despite some outbreaks due to the new strain and reluctance to inject in some states.
The increase in cases: the reasons
In recent weeks, however, there had been
an increase in cases
, but especially among the
youngest
, the sector that has just now begun to be vaccinated and that went on student vacations on
“Spring Break”.
Also in the interior states of the country, such as Texas or Louisiana, where vaccinations are empty because
many are reluctant to be immunized
and consider that the state violates the freedom to do what they want with their body.
CASES
0.000.00000.000
per million inhab.
Xxxxx
DEATHS
00,0000,000
per million inhab.
Source:
Johns Hopkins
Chart:
Flourish
|
Infographic:
Clarín
The
internments
, but fell sharply in February, rose slightly, but not among older.
The deaths have not increased because the infected are young.
There were certain warning lights, but progress was accelerated.
Does the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine change the landscape?
The United States has more than
1.3 billion doses
purchased and
stored
, mainly from Pfizer and Moderna, which are the most widely applied.
Johnson & Johnson's, the third option, is the one that was
least supplied
, but it is a good alternative to reach the most remote parts of the country, because being a single dose and requiring fewer conservation requirements, it is more accessible for
isolated
communities
and sectors more reluctant to get vaccinated.
According to the CDC, almost 7 million doses of Johnson & Johnson had been administered as of Monday.
It is much less than Pfizer (98 million) and Moderna 84 million.
People leave to get vaccinated at a vaccination center in New York.
Photo: AFP
The news of the suspension of vaccination with J&J to evaluate some cases of possible side effects has an impact on
the overall
vaccination
landscape
, and it may take a while.
But it is believed that it will not complicate the progress of the campaign too much because
there are other brands
to replace it.
In fact, hours after the announcement of the J&J evaluation, the state of New York communicated that it was suspending vaccination with that laboratory, but that the shifts were not canceled because it
was replaced with that of Pfizer
until there was no news.
The Johnson & Johnson case
Oscar Cingolani
, professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and associate director of the coronary critical care unit at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, explains to
Clarín
what the authorities are now analyzing about the vaccine.
“Although it is being studied, it is possible that this is the same that has happened with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is an autoimmune mechanism of antibodies generated by the DNA of the vaccine and that activates antibodies against platelets that make them stickier. and at the same time destroys them.
So, this disease
can produce blood
clots in places that are not usual like the brain or spleen, the pancreas or in the veins and arteries of the intestines ”.
Oklahoman Governor Kevin Stitt vaccinates him with the Johnson & Johnson dose.
Photo: AP
He adds that “we cardiologists see this disease a lot, induced by heparin.
Heparin is an anticoagulant that cardiologists use a lot, especially in hospitalization and when catheterizing, and in some patients we see that when giving heparin these antibodies are synthesized and we act quickly ”.
“The pathology would seem to indicate that it is possible to treat it with
immunoglobulin
or with specific antibodies if it is
treated in time
.
I agree with the CDC's decision to pause until further notice.
I think we have to wait until we
know more about
the pathology and establish a treatment protocol in case we decide to reestablish vaccination, a matter of knowing how to treat the few cases.
So far 6 cases in 7 million vaccinated, with
a single death
”.
Regarding how this novelty hits in the vaccination campaign, Cingolani pointed out that “definitely, it will have an impact.
But we can possibly replace it as the United States has been stockpiling vaccines and is making and generating contracts
with other companies
and pharmaceutical manufacturers and industries to produce Pfizer and Moderna vaccines on a larger scale.
This is going to impact and possibly our prediction to vaccinate 80% of the population by July is going to be delayed a bit ”.
Paulo Verardi
, professor of Virology and an expert in vaccines at the University of Connecticut, told
Clarín
that “we need
the largest possible number
of vaccines to control Covid-19 in the United States and around the world.
While about 28% of the adult population in the US is fully vaccinated, in the world that percentage is significantly lower. "
A box of J&J vaccine in Mississippi.
Photo: AP
"Vaccines based on adenovirus vectors, such as those from Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Sputnik V, are the main players in our effort to vaccinate the largest number of people in the world as soon as possible," he explained.
He added: "While the majority of people in the United States have received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines so far, more than 6.8 million people have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. therefore, the pause recommended by the FDA and the US CDC will have a measurable negative effect on our effort to control the virus, but in the meantime,
there are
safe and effective
alternative vaccines
. "
Verardi highlights that “so far only six cases of blood clots and low platelet counts have been identified in some 6.8 million vaccine recipients in the US Therefore, the risk is
less than one in a million
, and all the cases were registered in
women between 18 and 48 years old
.
"
The specialist added that "the CDC and the FDA will study these cases carefully to try to determine if
there
really
is a connection
between the vaccine and the serious side effects, and make new determinations, perhaps recommending alternative vaccines for
certain
specific
populations
."
But, beyond all, explains the expert, “the conclusion is that Covid-19 is
still here
.
We cannot afford to lose sight of our goal of immunizing the majority of the population to reach herd immunity levels and begin to return to our normal lives. "
"We have to remember that during this hiatus we still have two other highly effective and safe messenger RNA vaccines licensed for emergency use in the US, in addition to additional ones around the world, and therefore it is vital to
continue to encourage
to all those who are eligible to be vaccinated as soon as possible, "he concluded.
Washington, correspondent
ap