AstraZeneca is facing scrutiny after problematic data in their submission to federal regulators and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine production hit a snag with supply chain problems. There still may be enough to vaccinate all Americans.
Summary
In preparing for a request for emergency use authorization in the United States, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca released data showing its coronavirus vaccine had a 79% effectiveness.
- Less than a day later, the National Institutes of Health released a statement saying AstraZeneca “may have included outdated information” in its application, potentially providing “an incomplete view of the efficacy data.”
- Even before the NIH’s concerns, AstraZeneca was struggling to regain its footing after a similar data blunder in the United Kingdom and recent unfounded fears over the vaccine causing blood clots.
- Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson, which has created the only approved single-dose vaccine, is facing “logistical constraints”, leading the Biden administration to questions whether J&J will be able to meet its commitments.
- The New York Times reported the NIH’s midnight statement as “highly unusual” but that it followed delays in the Institute’s analysis after they had to make several requests for revised data.
- A few days before the effectiveness announcement now in question, Vox conducted its signature deep dive on difficulties the AstraZeneca vaccine is facing in Europe.
- While CNN reported on the late-night announcement from NIH, a few days earlier the left-leaning cable news giant gave the Biden administration glowing coverage over its commitment “loan” millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada.
- Fox News’ coverage of the NIH’s questioning AstraZeneca’s data included recent remarks from the company’s president defending the vaccine.
- OANN’s coverage relied heavily on wire reports, pitting the countries of the EU and the United Kingdom against AstraZeneca, which the EU characterizes as having oversold its production capacity, leaving the continent woefully short on vaccines.
- The Federalist highlighted the vaccination successes of Florida, saying the ability to vaccinate 70% of seniors has vindicated Gov. Ron DeSantis after the flak he received in the media for months.
Return to Freespoke 
© Dallas Gerber, 2021
