DENVER — (KDVR) — Colorado Health officials confirmed Sunday that the first dosages of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine will arrive by the end of the week. They are expecting around 45,000 vaccines in the first shipment.
Health experts are anxiously awaiting a one-and-done option to help speed vaccinations, as they race against a virus that already has killed more than 510,000 people in the U.S. and is mutating in increasingly worrisome ways.
The J&J vaccine, according to health officials, only has to be stored in regular refrigerated temperatures in comparison to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine.
Dr. John Fox works in Hugo and said that he has only been vaccinating with the Moderna vaccine.
Dr. Fox said they are looking forward to the J&J vaccine to hit the market. He said it’s a step in the fight against coronavirus and another step toward herd immunity.
“There isn’t enough vaccine to go around at this point. So the more vaccines on the market the greater the production the sooner we will be able to get everyone vaccinated,” Dr. Fox said.
He stated Lincoln county only has the Moderna vaccine because it can be stored in regular vaccine freezer temperatures. He said the Pfizer vaccine is in bigger cities or towns because it needs to be stored in a range of minus 103 degrees, which smaller counties don’t have access to that type of storing equipment,
“In the meantime we can get more people immunized and reach herd immunity relatively quicker then what we would otherwise,” Dr. Fox said.
Dr. Fox stated the J&J vaccine proves to be 67% effective. But he said that shouldn’t push people away from getting it.
“It keeps people out of the hospital, it keeps them out of the ICU and keeps them off ventilators and keeps them alive,” Dr. Fox said.
Colorado State health officials stated Friday that Colorado could receive 400,000 doses of the J&J vaccine by the end of March.