- The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most effective tools to end the pandemic.
- This vaccine can be manufactured quickly and requires only one syringe and no follow-up appointments.
- The Biden administration must provide transparency about dispatch data so that states can plan appropriately.
- This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
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The COVID-19 vaccination will be seen in the coming years as a historic effort between the public and private sectors, but for now the government and the Biden government are eliminating their work. Vaccinating an entire country is no easy task; it requires coordinated planning between manufacturers and distributors. And a successful rollout can only take place with a strong, transparent supply chain. The logistical requirements for production and the growing public demand for timely vaccinations are on an unprecedented scale, but the approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may be the shock this effort needs.
The injection of optimism into our supply chain
From a supply chain perspective, the J&J vaccine is one of the most effective tools available to accelerate the end of the pandemic. The newly authorized vaccine delivers benefits in the supply chain that enable fast, efficient and safe production, and the production of any vaccine is the first step to the end of the pandemic. But exploiting the full potential of the J&J vaccine to achieve the goal of vaccinations will depend on transparent distribution and planning by the federal government and states.
The J&J vaccine offers several benefits for achieving vaccination goals. The vaccines produced – the messenger RNA Pfizer and Moderna vaccines – are faster developed, but require technological upgrades for some existing production facilities. The J&J vaccine, on the other hand, reflects the types of vaccines that have been produced for years and years, so that existing plants can start making them right away – with the potential to produce from the middle 100 million doses for the US vaccine supply chain. March to June. After manufacturing the J&J vaccine, it is easier to store and ship, as existing cold chain technology will be sufficient and extremely cold facilities are not required.
A single-shot vaccine like J & Js also creates fewer logistical challenges for distributors and patients. President Joe Biden called for the Defense Act and increased the production of medical supplies such as syringes. Single-graft vaccines require only one syringe. Multiply the savings by millions, and it reduces production time, energy and resources. In turn, states no longer have to spend energy on coordinating follow-up appointments or calculating second-dose storage, as required by other vaccines. The single dose provides the opportunity to push up the mega-vaccination sites, as patient detection is not required. These sites can enable people to simply walk in for a vaccine.
The J&J vaccine is an amazing medical and supply chain with great potential, but the maximum results will ultimately be the standard of history. At the end of the day, the impact of the J&J vaccine can only be measured at the doses injected.
To ensure a smooth process from production to vaccination, the federal government must over-communicate and provide significant transparency for states to plan ahead for vaccinations. Supply chains depend on future shipping data, which means that manufacturers plan to produce based on the government’s needs forecast. In turn, vaccine appointments are planned based on the expected future inventory. If the two forces work seamlessly, the J&J vaccine can be at its strongest. The administration of Biden must keep its promise to give four weeks of future visibility of vaccines to states to allow easy scheduling at mass vaccination sites.
Soon, states will begin vaccinating the phase to vaccinate extraordinarily broad sections of the population. This will be a major effort to ensure that the vaccine supply matches the increased demand created by the extensive pool of vaccination. The federal government and the states have a huge opportunity with the J&J vaccine to get more shots in the arms faster than ever before, but the key is to take advantage of the efficiency of the supply chain created by advance to plan.
As demand continues to increase and suitability increases, we absolutely need every tool to accelerate a return to normalcy – the J&J vaccine is the key to meeting that need. In terms of numbers, the effective distribution of the J&J vaccine can have a major positive impact on the vaccination timeline. The government of Biden would have to set a target of 80 million by 1 April and 220 million by 1 July. We can talk about the normality towards the end of the year towards the end of the summer.
Sanchoy Das is a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he specializes in supply chain and logistics engineering.