At least 494 employees of the education department received the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson on Friday as public schools prepare to resume more personal classes after the spring break.
Angel Ramos, a principal at Kalakaua Middle School, was the first in Hawaii to recently approve the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. He said he did not hesitate to accept the shot, after seeing dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, reassures Americans that all three approved vaccines – manufactured by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – are effective according to an interview. provided by the DOH, which did not allow the media on the premises due to the privacy rules of patients.
The first Johnson & Johnson Vaccination Clinic was run by the DOH Behavioral Health Administration at the Windward Comprehensive Health Center in Kaneohe.
“Not everyone is 100% protected, but the Johnson & Johnson makes me 100% protected from death, that’s the most important part,” Ramos said. ‘Just like the flu – the flu shot does not protect everyone 100%. (But) I feel safe. ‘
The health department on Wednesday notified certain public school workers about the option to get the Johnson & Johnson shot or to wait to receive Moderna’s vaccine at another clinic next week.
Darlene Paton, an English teacher, said she “felt very blessed to be able to make an appointment so quickly” after only finding out that the vaccine was available on Thursday.
‘I like the fact that it’s a single dose. Also because I am going to travel to my mother – she has been vaccinated and now I have been vaccinated – I just feel that it will be so much safer, ”she said. ‘I would encourage anyone who can get a vaccine to do so. We need to get our children to school, we need to get everyone back to work and get our economy back on track. If this is one way to help, I think everyone should do it. ‘
Substitute teacher Stephanie Pierobello, who has retired after more than 20 years, has been waiting for the single-dose vaccine so she does not have to worry about a two-dose process.
“My heart goes out to the ordinary classroom teacher without a vaccine to fight it,” she said, urging her colleagues not to be “held back by any beliefs other than your own health.”
“It should be such a joy now to have these options.”
Health officials reported two new coronavirus deaths on Friday – both Oahu women in their 60s with underlying medical conditions – and 54 infections, bringing the total to 443 deaths and 27,753 cases since the start of the pandemic. .
The DOH said 391,116 vaccines were administered out of the 496,050 received by the state, with about 16.1% of the general population in Hawaii receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
“It is gratifying to see that so many people are realizing the benefits of this new vaccine,” Libby Char, director of health, said in a news release. “The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is similar to the Pfizer and Modern vaccines because they are all very effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death, but it is different because Johnson & Johnson is a one-time treatment.”
Hawaii would receive 67,280 doses this week, up from about 40,200 shots a month ago. Federal approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine helps speed up the vaccination schedule for the state, which opens immunizations for all 70 and older as early as today. So far, the state has reserved doses for health workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities, as well as essential workers, including school teachers, and kupuna 75 and older.
The Department of Health has received 5,900 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Oahu, and another 2,000 shots each for the island of Hawaii, Maui and Kauai. The shots will be distributed at so-called ‘delivery points’, or PODs, by the district health offices, as well as hospitals. The state expects 62,330 vaccinations to come next week.
The DOH has vaccinated public school workers from Waikiki to Waianae and will soon announce dates for additional groups. Go to hawaii covid19.com to sign up.