Anthony Fauci, who is US President Joe Biden’s top advisor on the COVID-19 pandemic, projected on Sunday that the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, which has been in a stir after rare cases of blood clots in recipients were found, might soon get a clean chit from US health officials. 

Fauci further revealed that a decision on the vaccine’s resumption in the US might be announced as soon as Friday. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has summoned an advisory panel next week on April 23 to decide the fate of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

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Fauci, while speaking on NBC’S ‘Meet the Press’ hinted that permanent termination of the vaccine’s usage is highly unlikely. However, a possibility of “warning or restriction or risk assessment” can be predicted. 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was temporarily pulled from circulation in the US after six cases of blood clots were reported in women. However, such instances are reportedly very rare as a total of 7 million jabs of the single-dose vaccine have been used in the country.

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Fauci said on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’, “I don’t know if there have been further cases. We will know that by Friday, and I would be very surprised … if we don’t have a resumption in some form by Friday. A decision almost certainly will be made by Friday.”

Fauci further predicted that the US is likely to start an inoculation drive targeting high school students “by the fall term” and went on to forecast that the country aims to start vaccinating people of all ages by the beginning of 2022.