During a Feb. 4 Twitter Q&A with President Joe Biden’s COVID Response Team, Fauci said he believed a new vaccine was just around the corner. He noted at the time that if the Johnson & Johnson team applied for an emergency-use authorization this month, an FDA advisory committee could meet and discuss it this month as well. If the FDA determines that the Johnson & Johnson shot meets its standards, “the vaccine could be available in March,” Fauci said. And for essential vaccine guidance, Dr. Fauci Says Doing This After Getting Vaccinated Is a Huge Mistake. Just a few hours after Fauci’s Twitter Q&A, we learned that Johnson & Johnson did in fact apply for an emergency-use authorization. On Feb. 4, the manufacturer submitted an application to the FDA. According to The New York Times, the FDA will vote on whether or not to authorize the vaccine on Feb. 26. “Upon authorization of our investigational COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, we are ready to begin shipping. With our submission to the FDA and our ongoing reviews with other health authorities around the world, we are working with great urgency to make our investigational vaccine available to the public as quickly as possible,” Paul Stoffels, MD, vice chairman of the executive committee at Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. The Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines are very similar in their makeup, both using messenger RNA (or mRNA) technology. However, if approved, Johnson & Johnson’s would be a brand-new kind of vaccine. Unlike Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is only one dose—meaning you won’t need to make a follow-up appointment to get a second shot. And unlike Moderna’s and Pfizer’s, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine doesn’t need abnormal storage conditions. According to The New York Times, this vaccine is adenovirus-based, meaning it doesn’t contain fragile molecules that need to be stored in sub-freezing temperatures. Instead, Johnson & Johnson’s can be refrigerated normally for up to three months and for as long as two years in colder temperatures—making it much more stable and longer-lasting than the other two vaccines. And for more on the new vaccine, These Are the Side Effects of the New Johnson & Johnson Vaccine. With three vaccines potentially on the market starting in March, how can you know which vaccine to get? Well, according to Fauci, you should get whichever vaccine is made available to you, as all three vaccines are “highly effective in preventing severe disease.” During a Feb. 4 Cuomo Prime Time interview on CNN, Fauci said it is unlikely that people will have a choice on which vaccine they receive anytime soon.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “I don’t think right in the beginning, they will [have a choice],” Fauci said. “Right now, the demand is far in excess of the supply. So people will, I think, gladly take whatever is available to them.” However, the White House adviser also noted that as we get through February into March, April, and May, the amount of vaccine available will become “much more plentiful,” meaning that people may eventually get to choose which vaccine they get. And to make sure you’re prepared for your shot, If You Take These OTC Meds, You Have to Stop Before Getting the Vaccine.
