Dr. Fauci Just Said This is the Best Vaccine to Get
Now that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been deemed safe and effective by the FDA, there will soon be three COVID-19 vaccines in the mix. Many people are wondering: which of the three is the best to get? During a Thursday interview with Today's Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the President and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, revealed his thoughts when it comes to the burning question. Read on to hear what he had to say—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.
Dr. Fauci Says "When the Vaccine Becomes Available, Take It"—No Matter What Brand
First off, Dr. Fauci explained why the introduction of a new vaccine will be incredibly helpful in our battle against the virus. "It certainly will contribute to getting control over that, because if you have a third vaccine in the mix it gives individuals who might be in different parts of the country, different accessibility to have a vaccine that as soon as it becomes available to you have it," he pointed out. "To have two is fine. To have three is absolutely better. It's better because there are more choices, it's better also because it increases the supply of vaccines. When you have a company like J and J Johnson, that has a very good track record with pharmaceuticals to have them come in and be in the mix with the other two is, is nothing but good news."
When asked if people should wait to get the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which are up to 95 percent effective, compared to J&J, said to be 72 percent, Dr. Fauci urged the public to get whatever vaccine is first available to them.
"That I think is not a good idea," he asserted about wanting one over another. "I think people should get vaccinated. In fact, you just heard one of the people from Moderna say that 'When the vaccine becomes available, take it.' I mean when a vaccine gets by the FDA in an emergency use authorization, and then ultimately hopefully in an actual full approval, take the vaccine."
Why? It could save your life. "This is a race, Savannah," he continued, "between the virus and getting vaccines into people. The longer one waits on getting vaccinated, the better chance the virus has to get a variant or a mutation. So the sooner we get vaccine into the arms of individuals, whatever that vaccine is, once it gets by the FDA for an EUA, if it's available to you, get it."
RELATED: If You Feel This You May Have Already Had COVID Says Dr. Fauci
Fauci Added That the Vaccine Can Protect Us From the New Variants
Fauci added that even though some variants could be somewhat resistant to the vaccine, getting it is still absolutely crucial. "The major spread in the country right now, the vaccine is good against that. And even ones in which it may be somewhat less effective, the vaccine is still good against severe disease, as we've seen with the J&J vaccine," he explained. "So one of the things we really want to do, we want people not to get infected at all, but we also don't want them to have to go to the hospital and get seriously ill and likely die. And what we're seeing from other countries and even in our own country, we're seeing the numbers come right down. Now, that's all good news. It's good because there are several factors going into containing that. Emerging of variants will occur. The trick is when they do occur to prevent them from spreading."
So follow Fauci's fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—wear a face mask that fits snugly and is double layered, don't travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, get vaccinated when it becomes available to you, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
