Hopes rise as Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine could soon be available

PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania is only receiving around 175,000 doses per week of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government, but there’s hope that number will jump if Johnson & Johnson gets emergency use authorization from the FDA.

“Drug stores, Giant Eagle, they all say they don’t have anything. My doctor doesn’t have it. I’m going to be 72 in two weeks and I have a heart problem and I can’t get the shot,” Judy Byers said.

Byers says she’s getting increasingly frustrated with not being able to find the vaccine. She’s looking for herself, her husband and her diabetic grandson.

“If the information the manufacturer has given us about the vaccine, it’s been 100% successful in preventing serious complications like hospitalizations and deaths. That’s fantastic,” said UPMC Infection Prevention Medical Director Dr. Graham Snyder.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose, meaning it could speed up the vaccination process. Snyder said with this vaccine only requiring standard refrigeration, not ultra-cold storage like the others, people in underserved communities could have a better chance of getting it.

“If the vaccine is easier to store, that changes the dynamic a lot because you can get the vaccine to those areas that may not have the medical infrastructure to store the vaccine and make it more readily available. That’s a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Snyder said.

The FDA Advisory Panel will make a recommendation on Johnson & Johnson’s Emergency Use Authorization application at the end of the month.

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Cox Media Group