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What Johnson & Johnson’s Mix-up Means For The Vaccine Rollout In NY, NJ
By
Nsikan Akpan
and
Karen Yi
Published Apr 1, 2021
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JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
By
Nsikan Akpan
and
Karen Yi
Published Apr 1, 2021
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New York and New Jersey officials are monitoring the situation with Johnson & Johnson, after reports of a production delay with the drugmaker's COVID-19 vaccine. The single shot from the New Jersey-based company is vital to New York’s vaccination expansion, especially for reaching vulnerable populations such as homebound seniors and the homeless.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that a mix-up by a manufacturing partner in Baltimore--Emergent Biosolutions--had damaged 15 million doses of the vaccine, adding that the error does not impact any current doses in circulation.
Federal regulators deliver vaccine doses to states on a weekly basis--a practice that raises the possibility of shortages anytime there is an interruption in the supply chain. Remember that the city almost ran out of shots and some providers had to reschedule appointments when snowstorms hit in February. Some of those cancellations were due to providers planning ahead and booking doses before the state had confirmed the size of their future allocations.
Read More: Mayor De Blasio Demos Walk-Up Vaccines Without Appointments To Close Equity Gaps
A spokesperson for Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday as long as clinics and hospitals haven’t done that again, then appointments should be fine through at least next week.
“We have determined that doses will be available for all appointments scheduled at State-run mass vaccination sites and the issue should not impact appointments at other providers if they followed state guidance and did not book appointments beyond next week’s allocation,” Jack Sterne, a spokesperson for Governor Andrew Cuomo, said in a statement. Mayor Bill De Blasio’s office and the city's health officials likewise said it is monitoring the situation and that they'll share more information when they get it.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has called the Johnson & Johnson vaccine a “game-changer” because its single dose could help ensure more equitable vaccine distribution across the state, particularly to Black and Latino residents. (The two other COVID-19 vaccines currently approved in the U.S., produced by Pfizer and Moderna, require two doses spaced weeks apart.) The state has designed much of its community outreach around the Johnson & Johnson vaccines that can be stored in regular refrigerators and don’t need any follow-up booster appointments.
That includes plans to equip three mobile units with Johnson & Johnson doses that will target areas where residents don’t have access to transportation or high-speed internet to make online appointments. The one-shot doses are also being used by local health departments to inoculate home-bound residents.
On Wednesday, New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the state will receive 131,600 Johnson & Johnson doses next week—a 150% increase from this week’s supply.
New Jersey health officials said they did not expect the Baltimore factory mix-up to impact next week's allocation but did not address future shipments.
Johnson & Johnson, the New Brunswick-based drugmaker, referred Gothamist/WNYC to a statement released Wednesday that did not hint at any alteration in its plan to safely deliver 24 million doses of its vaccines in April. The company did not answer specific questions about potential delays to vaccine shipments in the region.
Tagged
COVID-19
Johnson & Johnson
coronavirus
new york
new jersey
vaccine
Nsikan Akpan
Nsikan is the former editor of the health and science desk at WNYC/Gothamist. Nsikan was previously at National Geographic where he worked as a science editor, overseeing its COVID-19 coverage in addition to other topics in science, health and technology. Before National Geographic, he worked for more than four years at PBS NewsHour, where he co-created an award-winning video series named ScienceScope. He shared a 2020 Emmy for the PBS NewsHour series “Stopping a Killer Pandemic” and in 2019 received a George Foster Peabody Award for the PBS NewsHour series “The Plastic Problem.” Nsikan has also worked for NPR, Science News Magazine, Science Magazine, KUSP Central Coast Public Radio, the Santa Cruz Sentinel and as a writer at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University. He holds a doctorate in pathobiology from Columbia University and is an alum of the science communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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