San Diego is expecting to receive its first shipment of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine this week, reports CBS8.
The vaccine received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA on February 27, 2021.
This latest vaccine has been making headlines because it only requires one dose instead of two, and can be kept in traditional refrigerated storage.
“This one-and-done approach is actually really great and I think it could be a game-changer,” Abisola Olulade, M.D. with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, told CBS8. “The fact that it doesn't require the ultra-cold storage that the Pfizer vaccine, for example, requires is also really awesome. It can really help us in terms of getting the supply out there.”
Trials showed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is around 75% effective in the U.S. and 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, according to data submitted to the FDA.
While the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were both 95% effective when they were trialed, medical experts say trial results cannot be compared against each other. Especially since there are new variants going around.
CBS8 reports Johnson & Johnson did conduct trials in communities where new strains existed including South Africa and Brazil, and about 2,000 San Diegans participated in their Phase 3 trial.
Johnson & Johnson plans to ship four million doses across America this week and millions of more doses are expected to go out by the end of March.
As of now, the exact number of San Diego is unknown.
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