Exactly 12 months after Mayor London Breed gloomily announced that she would close San Francisco in light of the coronavirus, she got a chance at the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Tuesday. It was a small sign of hope after a cruel year.
“It was important for me to make sure I not only get the vaccine, but more importantly, that I, as leader of the city, prove that it is safe,” Breed said.
The mayor obtained the single-dose vaccine at Maxine Hall Health Center in the Western Addition, where she was raised by her grandmother in public housing. The neighborhood has one of the highest cases in the city, and a low vaccination rate compared to the rest of San Francisco.
Breed said she has heard from many in the African-American and Latino communities who are nervous about the vaccination of COVID-19. She deliberately had her shot in the public eye – as several TV cameras and reporters watched – so that she could encourage those who might be hesitant, especially regarding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“What we’re trying to do is show that it’s not going to be used as experiments,” she said. “And if I were to do that, I hope they would say, ‘Okay, I’m going to do this too. “
Breed mentions the effectiveness and efficiency of the Johnson & Johnson shot and says the community should be confident that it is just as good as vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. Unlike the other two vaccines, Johnson & Johnson requires only one shot. All three vaccines are approximately 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death.
But some were wary of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to the slightly lower efficacy rate than the other two to prevent mild to moderate illness.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective in preventing the symptomatic COVID-19. The one-shot Johnson & Johnson prevents about 85% of serious illnesses. It can also be stored in a normal refrigerator, unlike the other two. 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.
Exactly one year after Mayor London Broad announced gloomily
Breed said it is very likely that the city will prioritize the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the homeless – who are now eligible for the vaccine, regardless of age – as it is just one shot.
When health workers went to vaccinate people with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Breed said, “I want them to be able to say it’s the same shot the mayor got.”
UCSF expert on infectious diseases, dr. Monica Gandhi, said it was an “incredibly strong statement” for Breed to get her vaccination so openly.
“I think it is a profound and symbolic gesture for an African-American mayor to show her African-American residents that she is very convinced of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine,” Gandhi said. “I think it’s an amazing thing to do.”
Following Breed’s remarks to the press, she was sent to a tent in the temporary vaccine clinic on the health centers’ tennis courts on Tuesday. Then she took off her blue jacket and a nurse stabbed her with a needle. The mayor is not scared.
“That’s it!” she says ecstatically. “I’m safe mom, I’m safe!”
Breed’s shot came a week after Dr Nadine Burke Harris – California surgeon, who is black – received a shot from Johnson and Johnson at the Oakland Coliseum as part of a public relations tour convinced that the one-vaccine vaccine is just as good. good as the Pfizer and Moderna.
But even with a third vaccine available at Johnson & Johnson, San Francisco still has a long way to go until the entire population over the age of 16 is vaccinated. City officials say the city is being stimulated by a limited supply from the state – a complaint they have been initiating since the start of the vaccination.
As of Tuesday, 31% of the city’s population over the age of 16 had received at least one dose of the vaccine. In the Western addition, only 3% of the residents in the neighborhood received at least one dose.
The city focuses on making its distribution as equitable as possible. According to urban data, 3.3% of the city’s vaccine supply went to black people, representing 4.9% of San Francisco’s total population. Meanwhile, 10.3% of the city’s supply went to Spanish and Latino residents, representing 14.1% of the city’s total population.
San Francisco on Monday also expanded the pool of people eligible to receive vaccinations. People 16 to 64 with disabilities or other health conditions that put them at risk of serious illness or death due to COVID-19 are now eligible.
Those who live or work in high-risk group care institutions – including correctional facilities, homeless shelters and residential care and treatment facilities – are also eligible, as are people on the street.
Dr Grant Colfax, director of the Department of Public Health, encouraged those eligible to make an appointment. But, he said, it’s going to take a little more time to be more available.
“We’ll get there,” he said. “If there is more offer, you can get the appointment for you, your loved ones or your neighbors and friends.”
Trisha Thadani is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @TrishaThadani