Johnson & Johnson Vaccine for Janssen Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Johnson & Johnson via Reuters
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan rejected an initial single-fire vaccine allocation of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19, citing a sufficient amount of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to cover the demand from eligible residents.
“Johnson and Johnson are a great vaccine. Modern and Pfizer are the best. And I will do everything I can to make sure Detroit residents get the best,” Duggan told a news conference. Thursday.
The FDA approved J & J’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use on Saturday, the third vaccine to be approved for distribution in the United States and the only vaccine that requires a single dose.
Clinical trial data show that the J&J vaccine is 66% generally effective in protecting against Covid, compared with approximately 95% for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. While some have expressed concern about the lower effectiveness of the J&J vaccine, the J&J vaccine has been shown to prevent 100% of hospitalizations and deaths related to the virus, according to data from clinical trials.
“All vaccines are safe and effective, and I recommend that all vaccines be offered in all communities,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical officer, said in a statement to CNBC.
“The Johnson and Johnson vaccine has also been studied in more recent time with easier-to-transmit variants, so I would not recommend comparing studies with Pfizer and Moderna directly with studies on Johnson and Johnson,” said Khaldun.
At a news conference on Friday, Andy Slavitt, Covid’s senior White House adviser, said Duggan’s comments about the J&J vaccine were misunderstood.
“I have been in constant dialogue with Mayor Duggan … He is very eager for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. And I think we would reiterate the message that for all of us, the first vaccine we can get is absolutely logical to get,” he said. Slavitt.
Duggan said Thursday that the city received 29,000 doses for Moderna and Pfizer vaccines this week.
“Every eligible Detroiter can call today, make an appointment and receive a Moderna / Pfizer vaccine next week at the TCF Center,” Duggan said Friday in a statement to the Detroit City Council. “As vaccine eligibility expands, Detroit will open a second site that offers Johnson & Johnson vaccines. I have full confidence that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is both safe and effective.”
Duggan said the city is making plans to distribute the J&J vaccine as a “key part” when it expands vaccination centers.
“It is possible that the day will come in March or April, when each Moderna and Pfizer (shot) are committed and we still have people who need the vaccine, and at that time we will set up a Johnson and Johnson center. I don’t see that in the next few weeks, “Duggans said Thursday.