HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted Sunday to recommend the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for the U.S., freeing the federal government to begin distributing the 3.9 million available doses as early as Monday.
“Having an additional safe and effective vaccine will help protect more people faster,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Studies show the Johnson & Johnson shot is 72 percent effective in the U.S., while the other two are 95 percent effective.
Health officials said not to get too caught up in the numbers, as all the approved vaccines are effective.
“If I were not vaccinated now and I had a choice of getting a J&J vaccine now or waiting for another vaccine, I would take whatever vaccine would be available to me,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has clear practical advantages over the other two companies’ vaccines approved so far.
Unlike the versions by Moderna and Pfizer—which use two shots each—the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose.
It also requires a refrigerator rather than a specialized freezer.
“There’s no one clear winner yet. They’re all winners. They all do well,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic.
Easier transport makes the Johnson & Johnson vaccine idea for remote and mobile vaccination sites across Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania health officials, however, have not said where the vaccine would be distributed once it arrives.
“We’ll be working with our legislative taskforce and our partners on the ground to determine allocations,” said Lindsey Mauldin, senior advisor for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Johnson & Johnson expects 20 million doses to be shipped nationally by the end of March, and 100 million by the end of June.
Even with the additional doses, the state’s vaccine rollout has a long way to go. Of the 4.5 million Pennsylvanians eligible in Phase 1A, 1.65 million have gotten at least one shot.
Officials declined to give a timeline of when Phase 1B could begin.
“We are seeing more vaccines come into the commonwealth every week, Mauldin said. “As that continues to occur, we’ll have a better idea of what the timing looks like.”
The state is still hoping to have the vaccine available to the general public sometime this summer, Mauldin said.