YouGov performed a survey over the weekend about trust in vaccines, and by chance their survey spanned the day that use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was halted by the CDC. That allowed them to see the effect of the CDC announcement:
Trust in the J&J vaccine fell substantially, which is not much of a surprise. What I'd really like to see, however, is how the CDC announcement affected trust more generally. YouGov must have the same before-and-after data for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and I'd be interested in seeing that.
Note that this doesn't tell us much about whether the CDC's announcement was right or wrong. For that, I think we'd need survey data on vaccine hesitancy more broadly, and we'd need it for a few weeks following the CDC announcement. Hopefully YouGov has that on their plate for the future.
Kevin,
Here's the data you were looking for:
"A majority (58-59%) consider the two more established vaccines [Moderna and Pfizer-BioNtech] to be safe, with only one in five (18-19%) considering them unsafe.
These figures are effectively unchanged from the previous survey on February 27, indicating that concerns over one vaccine do not spill over to affect other vaccines (as YouGov's research in Europe has also indicated). The data from the most recent survey also shows no statistically significant difference in perceptions towards the Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines between those who took the survey before and after the CDC's announcement."
From:
https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/04/15/johnson-johnson-vaccine-confidence
What I'd really like to see, however, is how the CDC announcement affected trust more generally.
There's this poll also.
J&J Pause Makes Americans More Confident in Vaccines
https://twitter.com/benwakana46/status/1382436908689657867?s=20
More confident: 58%
Less confident: 23%
Regarding public trust in vaccines, the J&J pause was a winner.
"If they stopped J&J for one death out of 6 million, that they haven't stopped Moderna/Pfizer must mean they are good."
No man has had a problem with the JJ vaccine
Vaccine is so sexist!
Here's a report of a death in Virginia attributed to the J&J vaccine. Read these details and then decide whether you'd be concerned if offered the J&J. And what is that was the ONLY vaccine you were offered?
VIRGINIA WOMAN, 45, DIES AFTER RECEIVING JOHNSON AND JOHNSON VACCINE.
The Virginia death was reported to the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. The VAERS report can be found by searching the system for VAERS ID 1114806-1. According to the VAERS report, the death reported is a 45-year-old female who was vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on March 6, with an onset of symptoms six days later on March 12. With worsening symptoms, the female went to the emergency room on March 16 and was hospitalized. After two days hospitalization with continually worsening symptoms and brain conditions, the patient died.
Copied from VAERS:
DETAILS FOR VAERS ID: 1114806-1
Event Information
Patient Age 45.00
Sex Female
State Virginia
Date Vaccinated 2021-03-06
Date of Onset 2021-03-12
Days to onset 6
Date Died 2021-03-18
Date Report Completed 2021-03-19
Date Report Received 2021-03-19
ADVERSE EVENT DESCRIPTION
Diagnosis: Cortical vein thrombosis, massive intracerebral hemorrhage with tentorial herniation, thrombocytopenia. Clinical Presentation and Course: 1 week after receiving Janssen COVID19 vaccination, patient developed gradually worsening headache. On March 17th, patient presented to Hospital with dry heaving, sudden worsening of headache and L sided weakness. Evaluation with head CT revealed a large R temporoparietal intraparenchymal hemorrhage with 1.3cm midline shift. She ended up getting intubated for worsening mental status. On evaluation at arrival in Medical Center, she was noted to have extensor posturing. Repeat imaging revealed worsening midline shift to 1.6cm. CTA showed cortical vein thrombosis involving the right transverse and sigmoid sigmoid sinus with tentorial herniation. Patient developed brain herniation and brain death was pronounced on March 18th, 2021.
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In the immortal words of A.E. Newman, "What, me worry?"
Isn't there a clever Latin phrase about something happening first doesn't mean it caused something happening later? If the unfortunate women had left the vaccination site, been struck by a car and then died- vaccine caused? Why yes, it's obviously so! /s
It's actuly quite a dumb sounding phrase imo. But considering these events were noted as a possible problem IN THE TRIALS (not enough data to make a determination there) it probably doesn't apply here.
The question I asked, Chester, was not whether you would jump to a conclusion. What I want to know is whether, after you read this report, you'd be concerned.
No, I wouldn't be concerned. If you are concerned, please go buy a lottery ticket.
The adverse events -- same probability, same severity -- would be viewed entirely differently by the medical experts if they had been foreseen and their etiology was understood. Clearly those are not the case.
You're absolutely right, Frank. It's worrisome that, after a significant time, there are no answers to these questions:
(1) Why did it happen? What was the physical process within the patient's body that caused this adverse event?
(2) Why do the reports seem to be limited to women?
(3) Why do we not have any way to treat these cases when they occur?
(4) Is there some other constellation of attributes common to the victims that could allow us to suggest this: "The vaccination is almost, but not quite, 100% safe. However if you have attributes X, Y, and Z then you might want to seek to get a different type of vaccine."
Also some reports coming out of Israel that mRNA vax may cause a shingles outbreak in some autoimmune/immunocompromised patients.
This is a good one for your CDC criticism post. I'm not sure whether or not the CDC should be criticized for "pausing" J&J. But they should be criticized for not explaining clearly why they paused. It's not like this is the first vaccine we've ever studied.