Surgeon General’s son interrupts morning TV interview

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s son made an appearance during a Wednesday morning interview in which Murthy was discussing the nation’s pause on the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.

As Murthy was answering questions from Gayle King on “CBS This Morning,” he was interrupted by his son, who throughout the interview seemed to pop in and out before landing a seat on his father’s lap.

In today’s episode of family and work colliding, I was unexpectedly joined by an adorable guest to talk about the J&J vaccine pause and why our confidence in #COVID19 vaccines remains high. Bottom line: vaccines remain our greatest opportunity to turn the pandemic around. https://t.co/kwJ0ydnIxY

— Dr. Vivek Murthy, 21st U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) April 14, 2021

“Dr. Murthy something keeps popping up on your screen,” King said. “We want the viewers to know that we see it too. We don’t know what the hell it is. Everything is safe. Everything is good. But there is something — it looks like a dog or something popping up around you, but all is good.”

“I’ll show you. It’s my little boy,” Murthy responded, bringing his son onto his lap.

“Oh. So sorry. Well, at least we can explain,” King said with laughter.

Murthy recounted the experience in a tweet.

“In today’s episode of family and work colliding, I was unexpectedly joined by an adorable guest to talk about the J&J vaccine pause and why our confidence in #COVID19 vaccines remains high,” he wrote. “Bottom line: vaccines remain our greatest opportunity to turn the pandemic around.”

On Tuesday, top U.S. health officials called for a pause on the distribution and use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 after six cases of rare blood clots were discovered among women who received the shots.

“This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot,” Food and Drug Administration official Peter Marks and Anne Schuchat, a top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, wrote in a joint statement.

Murthy reiterated Wednesday that the pause in the use of the vaccine is a necessary step in ensuring safety as vaccinations continue across the country.

“Remember this, these pauses are actually common when drugs and vaccines are rolled out,” he said. “This is not unusual. We’re just doing the due diligence that we need to do to make sure everything is safe so we can continue with our vaccination efforts.”