The Biden administration expects to ship 3 to 4 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s one-time COVID-19 vaccine next week – if the Food and Drug Administration gives the green light for emergency use, officials said Wednesday.
“If we get approval, we will be ready to roll out this vaccine without delay,” Jeff Zients, White House coordinator of the coronavirus, said during a virtual press conference.
Zients explained that on Tuesday he had notified the country’s governors of the government’s plans to distribute the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if the FDA grants emergency use approval.
“The governors are carefully planning their efforts and preparing for the potential new vaccine,” said Zients, noting that the distribution approach of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “will reflect the current allocation process across jurisdictions, pharmacies and community health centers.”
The FDA backed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine as safe and effective earlier Wednesday, ahead of a Friday meeting at which a panel of experts will decide whether to recommend it for emergencies.
The agency confirmed the pharmaceutical company’s finding that, overall, the vaccine was 66 percent effective at warding off moderate and severe COVID-19 cases and 85 percent effective at preventing the most serious infections.
Johnson & Johnson has committed to deliver 20 million doses by the end of March and 100 million by the end of June.
“We are working with the company to accelerate the pace and timeframe at which they deliver the full 100 million doses, which is contractually required by the end of June,” said Zients.
“While we wait for the FDA’s decision, we want the American people to know we’re doing the work so that if the EUA is granted, we won’t waste time getting this life-saving vaccine into the arms of Americans.”
Should the FDA approve Johnson & Johnson’s injection, it would be the third COVID-19 vaccine available in the US after the two-dose vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.
New York City officials have said they hope the approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will help vaccinate housebound residents of the Big Apple.
“The big part we want to achieve is the literal home inoculation of people who can’t leave their homes – that really requires the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, at Wednesday’s briefing, Zients announced that starting next month, the Biden administration will deliver more than 25 million “ high-quality ” and American-made textile face masks to community health centers and food banks across the country.
“While masks are widely available in many different shapes and sizes, many low-income Americans still do not have affordable access to these basic protections,” said Zients. “That’s why we’re taking this simple action to protect Americans.”
Anyone who wants a mask can go to any of the 1,300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries where the masks are available and pick them up for free, Zients said.
The mask effort has a price tag of $ 86 million, he said.