Hook it to my veins

I want the Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca vaccine now more than ever.

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 might not be as effective as the sought-after Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but it has a major advantage: it only requires one dose, instead of two doses several weeks apart. Not only does it mean health authorities aren’t left deciding whether to delay the second dose so more people can get a first one, but people who are reluctant to get vaccinated - or are just really, really terrified of needles, might be more willing to get a single shot.

That was the hope, anyway. Now that the FDA is asking that use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be paused, because of blood clots in some recipients, vaccine-hesitant people may no longer trust it. Or even any other vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to recommend a pause in distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine has been roundly — and rightly — condemned across the political spectrum. It's clear that the hypersensitive "abundance of caution" standard the FDA app…