Watch: Ashish Jha on Pfizer announcing early data on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness
“This is better than I was expecting.”
Dr. Ashish Jha called the Monday vaccine news from Pfizer
— that early data on its COVID-19 vaccine suggests the shots might be 90 percent effective — a clear “positive step forward.”
The dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said during an interview on the “Today” show that the update from the drug company is “good news.”
“I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised,” Jha said. “We were all hoping to hear about a vaccine some time this month or early next. And I was expecting a vaccine might be 70 percent effective, if we were lucky. So this is better than I was expecting.”
The public health expert reminded viewers that it remains “early” when it comes to the production of the vaccine and it will take time to get to the American people. He said more data still is needed from Pfizer about how many doses they have before a clear timeline on distribution of the vaccine can be established.
“But this is clearly a positive step forward,” he said.
The doctor emphasized that even with the vaccine news, immediate steps need to be taken to address the surging spread of the virus across the country. The United States has been shattering previous records for new daily coronavirus cases. On Sunday, the country topped 10 million cases, with the daily number of cases over the last week averaging over 100,000 and with 900 people dying on average each day, according to the New York Times.
Jha said a national mask mandate and widespread testing could make a “profound difference in bringing the virus under control.”
“We are entering probably the two hardest months of the pandemic,” he said. “I expect a lot of people getting sick and dying. We’ve got to start really acting.”
Spoke to @hodakotb on @TODAYshow about the @pfizer vaccine, what the @JoeBiden pandemic team should do
Vaccine? Preliminary look but very good news
Pandemic team? In the short run, focus on masks and getting a lot more testing widely available https://t.co/keFJKoh6c3
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) November 9, 2020
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