Elon Musk Comes In Support Of COVID-19 Vaccines After Earlier Comments Courted Controversy

Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk has come in support of COVID-19 vaccines after his earlier stance on social media sparked a debate surrounding the safety of a second shot.

What Happened: Musk made it clear that he supported vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines specifically. 

To be clear, I do support vaccines in general & covid vaccines specifically. The science is unequivocal.

In very rare cases, there is an allergic reaction, but this is easily addressed with an EpiPen.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2021

However, the entrepreneur repeated his line that there is some debate as to “whether a second synthetic mRNA shot is really needed” in a separate tweet. Musk particularly highlighted the COVID-19 vaccine of Johnson & Johnson JNJ, but added that Pfizer Inc PFE and its partner BioNTech SE BNTX, and Moderna Inc MRNA were “good too.”

According to Musk, the first shot is a “no-brainer.”

See also: How to Invest in Tesla Stock

Why It Matters: Last month, Musk had taken the stance that there is debate around the second jab and there have been “quite a few negative reactions to that,” as per a tweet. 

For sure wise for elderly or immunocompromised to take the vaccine. Some debate about the second jab though. Quite a few negative reactions to that.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 12, 2021

See Also: Delay fizer COVID-19 Vaccine's 2nd Inoculation To Boost Supply? Here's What Research Is Saying

In February, he appeared on Clubhouse and said there’s an “avalanche of vaccine” coming and the resultant glut means some of them would have to be “thrown away this year.”

According to the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, as of Wednesday, nearly 225 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed and 171.47 million administered. About 555,231 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States so far.

Price Action: Tesla shares closed nearly 3% lower at $670.97 on Wednesday and gained 0.21% in the after-hours session.

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