Fauci says the US may not need AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine because it already has enough options to inoculate the entire population, report says

• Dr. Anthony Fauci says the US may not need the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Reuters reported.
• He says the country has enough contracts with other vaccine makers to inoculate its population.
• The AstraZeneca vaccine has been linked to a rare blood clotting disorder in young people.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the United States may not need the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the White House, told Reuters on Friday the country already has enough contracts with other vaccine makers to inoculate its entire population.

The US has so far authorized and rolled out COVID-19 vaccines from three manufacturers - Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

"That's still up in the air," Fauci said, when asked whether the US will use the AstraZeneca vaccine. "My general feeling is that given the contractual relationships that we have with a number of companies, that we have enough vaccine to fulfill all of our needs without invoking AstraZeneca."

Fauci added he believes the supply from the currently approved vaccine makers will also be enough for booster shots to be given out later in the year if needs be.

"If you look at the numbers [of doses] that we're going to be getting, the amount that you can get from J&J, from Novavax from Moderna if we contract for more, it is likely that we can handle any boost that we need, but I can't say definitely for sure."

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use by dozens of countries, not including the US, but concerns about potential side effects have been raised in recent months.

In March, more than a dozen countries, mostly in Europe, temporarily suspended the vaccines' rollout after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder in young people.

Among the countries to halt the use of the vaccine were Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and The Netherlands.

Many nations have since fully resumed its use following reassurances from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), while others have done so with caveats.

Germany has limited use of the shot to people over 60 years of age and high-priority groups, Finland will only give it people over 65, while France will only do so to people over 55.

In Austria, Cameroon, Denmark, Norway, and Romania, use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is still suspended.