White House says J&J pause will not have a ‘significant impact’ on vaccination plan

WASHINGTON – A massive number of doses slated for arms have now put on pause over fears that in less than one in 1,000,000 cases, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could cause blood clots.

The White House is now trying to control the messaging on vaccines after the major development that the FDA advised a temporarily halting of those shots.

But for those who are vaccine hesitant, any growth in skepticism makes it a tougher sell.

As of last month, 30% of Americans polled said they don’t plan to get vaccinated. The biggest demographics: white Republican men and white Evangelical Christians.

That could be based on long-term mixed messaging involving overall COVID-19 safety dating back to masks.

“I just don’t want to wear one myself. It’s a recommendation,” said former President Donald Trump in April of last year.

Now the worry is that this setback could put the US further away from herd immunity.

We do need to continue to build confidence, and that’s done at the community level, neighbors, faith leaders, doctors,” said Jeff Zients, the White House Covid Response Coordinator.

The White House was already trying to strengthen its messaging by investing $3 billion into community organizations, as well as partnering with groups like Nascar and the country music industry to promote shots.