CNN Medical Analyst Slams Detroit Mayor for ‘Sadly Ignorant’ Comment About Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner called out the mayor of Detroit Friday for his comments on the efficacy of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Mayor Mike Duggan turned down the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and publicly said, “Johnson & Johnson is a very good vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer are the best. And I am going to do everything I can to make sure the residents of the city of Detroit get the best.”

The Biden administration addressed the issue in a press conference earlier:

They tried to clarify what Duggan said, claiming the mayor is “very eager for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” according to White House senior adviser on Covid-19, Andy Slavitt.

“The mayor’s office has indicated, after we talked to them, that there was a misunderstanding, that was not the intent of those remarks,” Slavitt said.

Duggan has since put out a statement saying he has “full confidence that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is both safe and effective.”

Reiner was on CNN discussing encouraging signs of when the U.S. could reach herd immunity, when Kate Bolduan asked about hesitancy to the J&J vaccine from the mayor and others.

“That was a sadly ignorant comment by the Detroit mayor,” Reiner said.

“The only number that people need to know about the J&J vaccine is 100. It’s 100 percent effective in that clinical trial in preventing hospitalization and death,” he continued.

Reiner brought up the level of vaccine hesitancy in the United States already before adding, “To have the mayor really throw shade on this vaccine is really very unproductive at best.”

You can watch above, via CNN.