After Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Approval That ‘Things Likely to Get Worse’: Biden

Washington, Feb 28 (FN Bureau) US President Joe Biden says the approval of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is “exciting news” but Americans should not let their guard down as the situation could deteriorate. On Saturday, the FDA announced that it had approved the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine for emergency use in the US in individuals 18 years of age and older.

“This is exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development in our efforts to bring an end to the crisis,” Biden said in a Saturday statement, adding “But I want to be clear: this fight is far from over. Though we celebrate today’s news, I urge all Americans — keep washing your hands, stay socially distanced, and keep wearing masks. As I have said many times, things are still likely to get worse again as new variants spread, and the current improvement could reverse.” The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the third to be authorized in the US (in addition to the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines). Johnson & Johnson has said it would provide the US with 100 million doses by the end of June. Another 600 million doses are expected from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna by the end of July.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot let our guard down now or assume that victory is inevitable. We must continue to remain vigilant, act fast and aggressively,” Biden said commenting on the new vaccine approval.