Will the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine come to southwest IL? Your questions answered
As the vaccination effort continues across the nation, the newly approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is expected to make it easier for Americans to get vaccinated.
When will the new vaccine arrive in the metro-east? How is it different from the others? When can everyone get vaccinated?
Q: When will one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine be available to me?
A: Officials say the new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will most likely arrive at mass vaccination sites in the metro-east in the coming week.
Approximately 83,000 doses of the newly authorized one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Illinois soon, state officials said.
Ninety percent of doses are expected to be shipped to mass vaccination sites throughout the state, including those in St. Clair and Madison counties. The remaining doses will be shipped to other providers across the state.
The doses are in addition to the roughly 288,000 allocated to the state by the federal government this week.
St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said the county expects to receive some of the Johnson & Johnson doses in the coming week. The county health department will distribute them.
Q: How is the new vaccine different from others?
A: While the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require two shots, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine only requires one. Meaning, unlike the other two doses, you will not have to schedule and return for a second dose.
Additionally, unlike the Pfizer and Moderna doses, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be stored at higher temperatures.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has a lower efficacy rate compared to Pfizer’s 95% rate and Moderna’s 94.1% rate. An efficacy rate is determined during clinical trials and, according to the CDC. It measures how effective a vaccine will be in reducing the possibility of a person contracting the virus after being vaccinated.
According to data submitted to the FDA, the J&J vaccine has a 72% efficacy rate at preventing COVID-19 and an 86% rate at preventing death or severe illnesses from the virus. That means you’re 72% less likely to contract COVID-19 and 86% less likely to be severely sick or die from the disease.
Q: When will the general public be vaccinated?
A: President Joe Biden said this week the United States will have enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for every adult American by late May, after earlier stating the country would meet that amount by the end of July.
The new estimate, Biden said, is partially due to a partnership between Merck and Johnson & Johnson, which would see the two pharmaceutical companies producing Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine en mass.
During a press briefing, Biden said the American people need to continue to follow social distance guidelines, wear masks and wash their hands as COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot let our guard down now to ensure victory is inevitable, we can’t assume that,” he said. “We must remain vigilant, act fast and aggressively and look out for one another. That’s how we’re going to get ahead of this virus, get our economy going again and get back to our loved ones.”
Q: When I was vaccinated I was asked to sign up for “V-safe.” What is it and should I do it?
A: “V-Safe” is short-term from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s V-safe After Vaccination Health Check. The Illinois Department of Public Health is asking people who get a COVID-19 vaccination to voluntarily use the “V-safe” program to communicate with the CDC to report any possible side-effects from the vaccine from their smartphone.
Doing so also allows people to receive a text reminder that it’s time for their second shot if they received a Moderna of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and allows the patient to communicate any potential side-effect they might experience from the vaccine to the CDC.
People who received a Moderna shot will get the notification four weeks after their initial dose and people who get the Pfizer shot will get the notification three weeks later.