Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine has just been given the green-light to begin distribution.
What We Know:
- Last Saturday, NBC News reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alongside the Food and Drug Administration, granted the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine an emergency use authorization. Unlike COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that require two shots three to four weeks apart, J&J’s vaccine will be the first to be kept at a regular refrigerator temperature for easier distribution. It is also the only vaccine to require just one single dose.
- On Sunday, officials from the Biden administration stated that the first doses of the J&J vaccine could be administered as early as Tuesday of this week. The medical device company, partnered with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, says that they plan to have fully vaccinated 20 million Americans by the end of March and 100 million by the end of summer.
- The rollout comes at a pivotal time in the pandemic as scientists worry that the coronavirus will continue to mutate and hinder current vaccines’ effectiveness.
- Dr. Jay Portnoy, a pediatrics professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and a member of the advisory committee, explained, “The fewer people who are infected with the virus, the less opportunity it has to emerge as a more virulent strain.”
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, encouraged the public to get vaccinated regardless of the brand, calling all three vaccines “highly efficacious.” Currently, Johnson’s vaccine is only available to adults ages 18 or older.
President Joe Biden called the emergency distribution “exciting news for all Americans and an encouraging development in our efforts to bring an end to the crisis.”
