Detroit Refused 6,200 Doses of Newly Authorized Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine This Week
LANSING, Mich. – Detroit this week turned down 6,200 doses of the newly licensed Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, favoring Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but said Friday it would accept J&J doses in the state’s next allocation.
Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday that residents should receive the best vaccines – from Moderna and Pfizer – contrary to guidance from state and federal health officials who warn against comparing the three vaccines and note that they all provide protection. strong against the worst results.
Duggan also said the allocation of 29,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna “covered everyone who wanted a vaccination this week.” On Friday, he called J&J vaccines “a key part of expanding our vaccination centers.”
No other local health department has denied any of the 82,700 J&J wildfires sent to Michigan this week, the state health department said.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical officer, said earlier this week that people who are offered the J&J vaccine should “take it because the decline … could be the difference between life and death.” In a statement on Friday, she cited differences in when and where each company conducted its studies, with Moderna and Pfizer research completed before the variants began to spread.
In the US, two-dose photos of Pfizer and Moderna were 95% protection against symptomatic COVID-19. The efficacy of a single 85% dose against severe J&J COVID-19 decreased to 66% when moderate cases were introduced. The Food and Drug Administration reported that, like its predecessors, J&J strongly protected against serious illness, hospitalization and death. .
“All vaccines are safe and effective, and I recommend that all vaccines be offered in all communities,” Khaldun said.
Andy Slavitt, the White House’s special adviser on coronavirus, said Friday that the White House spoke with Detroit City Hall, which he called a “misunderstanding.”
“In fact, he’s very keen on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Slavitt said of Duggan.
As of Wednesday, 11% of Detroit residents aged 16 and over had received at least one dose. The state level rate was 19%.
This week, Detroit extended vaccinations to any resident who is a factory worker, regardless of age or location. Non-residents can also get hit if they work in manufacturing in the city.
6,200 doses of J&J from Detroit were directed to the health departments in the counties with the lowest vaccination rates for people aged 65 and over, said state spokesman Bob Wheaton.
The J&J vaccine is produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus, which has caused moral concerns on the part of Catholic leaders. The chairmen of the committees of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops on Doctrine and Abortion have said that Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are preferable “if someone has the ability to choose a vaccine.”
A $ 4.2 billion COVID-19 aid plan approved by the Michigan Republican-led Legislature this week includes a provision that would require the vaccine recipient to be informed if and how their vaccine was developed with aborted fetal tissue or human embryonic stem cells. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could declare the article unenforceable.
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Associated Press writer Zeke Miller of Washington contributed to the report.
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