The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will keep people alive and out of the hospital and protect them from severe COVID-19 symptoms. It only takes one shot. It has achieved impressive efficacy rates in a study consistent with coronavirus variants against which previous vaccines have not yet been fully tested.
And yet, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, two weeks after approval in emergencies and as it begins to roll out across the United States, is being hailed by some as the second course for its two older siblings, Moderna and Pfizer. One city initially declined doses, and even Bay Bay health officials say they hear people fit for the third choice.
State and local health officials spent Thursday on a PR tour for Johnson & Johnson vaccines, trying to allay concerns or fears. They shared the hashtag #oneanddone. And during the Oakland Coliseum, dr. Nadine Burke Harris – the California Surgeon General, who is black – received a shot of Johnson & Johnson in her left arm.
“I’ll tell you, after working behind the scenes with my colleagues in the state over the past year to combat this pandemic, my mother gave me another hug,” she said. . “I think this is something that too many Californians would have been without this pandemic.”
Number of doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine sent to Bay Area Provinces so far:
Contra Costa: 4000 received (1,000 administered)
Marine: 1,000 received (100 administered)
Napa: 300 received
San Francisco: 4 800 received (346 administered)
San Mateo: 3,200 received
Santa Clara: 7 500 received
Sonoma: 1,700 received
The provinces of Alameda and Solano did not immediately respond to requests for information.
In fact, her mother, who was ill and stuck in a hospital bed, also received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week.
“We’ve looked at science and research, and this vaccine is so good that it’s good enough for my mother,” Harris said. “If we think of the light at the end of the tunnel, it will require all of us to be vaccinated.”
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines – which both require two shots – are both about 95% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, including mild to severe illness. Johnson & Johnson, which requires only one shot, prevents about 85% of serious illnesses. Humans achieve overall faster immunity with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – about four weeks after the injection, compared to ten days to two weeks after the second injection for the other two.
All three vaccines are approximately 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death, which Dr. Philip Grant, a physician at the infectious disease at Stanford Health Care who led the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial, is the most important.
“For me, it’s a good idea,” Grant said. “Take the vaccine to get back to a normal life.”
Provinces of California received their first large quantities of Johnson & Johnson doses this week and have already used them at large vaccination sites, as well as mobile units and other clinics designed to serve populations that are difficult to reach. Besides the fact that only one dose is needed, the vaccine is also easier to move than the other, which requires cold storage.
In Marin County, the Department of Public Health received 1,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson earlier this week and has delivered 100 shots so far, Drs. Matt Willis, the health officer, said. The remaining doses will be brought to mobile clinics that visit skilled nursing homes looking for new residents or those who slipped through the cracks during early vaccinations.
“For the mobile effort, it’s very useful as a one-and-done,” Willis said. “One dose is also good for people who do not want to go through the experience twice, maybe they are afraid of needles or it is difficult to make appointments.”
He was not worried about the Johnson & Johnson option.
“The best vaccine for you is the ones that were available at the time,” Willis said. The faster shots go into the arms, the sooner the immunity of the herd can be achieved, he said.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health has received 4,800 doses of Johnson & Johnson and nearly 350 people have been shot so far. About 1,500 San Francisco teachers began firing Thursday in a three-day effort at district offices.
The Contra Costa County health care officer received 4,000 doses this week and gave 1,000 in the gun, Drs. Health official Chris Farnitano said. Many were sent to hospitals to vaccinate older patients after discharge or used in mobile units.
He said the province is getting people requesting certain vaccines, but there is not enough stock to offer options. The province has allowed people to reschedule in hopes of getting another vaccine, but without guarantees, he said.
“Compared to other things we offer vaccines for, they are all the most effective for treating infectious diseases,” he said.
Napa County spokeswoman Janet Upton received 300 doses on Tuesday, which officials sent to private partners to disperse.
“From what I hear, the one-and-done factor is a plus,” she says.
In San Mateo County, public health officials received 3,200 doses. They plan to pay them out at a Saturday clinic and explore other options. The simpler requirements for storage and handling offer more flexibility, said Anand Chabra, the COVID-19 branch head for vaccination.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine struck early link, as the Detroit mayor turned down 6,200 doses and said he preferred Pfizer and Moderna. He quickly returned the comments and accepted shipments, but it raised concerns that recipients of Johnson & Johnson vaccines may be less protected than others.
No provinces in the Bay Area have expressed their concern.
“Not at all,” Farnitano said. “All the vaccines are amazing and we want to get as much of every flavor as we can get our hands on.”
Another heel for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is criticism from religious groups, including the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
“The newer Johnson & Johnson vaccine … is morally endangered by using stem cells from a line from an aborted fetus, not just to test it,” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said in early March. He said it was still good to get the vaccine, but advised him to take Moderna and Pfizer over Johnson & Johnson if given the option.
Matthias Gafni and Meghan Bobrowsky are writers of San Francisco Chronicle staff. Email: [email protected], [email protected] Twitter: @mgafni, @MeghanBobrowsky