California expected to receive 380,000 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine, if authorized

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Dr. David Ghillarducci with Santa Cruz and San Benito County's health office says the state is expected to receive 380,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

He made the announcement Wednesday night live on KION News at 5 p.m., just minutes after receiving the update from the state.

"On top of that this is a single dose vaccine, not one that needs to be repeated. From a convenience standpoint and storage standpoint, this is really great news," says Dr. Ghillarducci.

Dr. Ghillarducci says those doses could come in the next three weeks if this version of a vaccine is authorized. Ghillarducci says this information is coming from the state.

This vaccine would join the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines currently in the trenches of a fight against COVID-19.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday provided a boost for the J&J vaccine, saying it was safe for emergency use.

In its research, the FDA found the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against moderate to severe/critical Covid-19 across all geographic areas was 66.9% at least 14 days after the single-dose vaccination and 66.1% at least 28 days after vaccination.

This analysis is meant to brief the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.

While the published efficacy for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were both significantly higher, over 90 percent, Dr. Ghilarducci says they are not comparable.

The trials for these vaccines were done at different times and in different counties and with different people, (in) different phases of the pandemic. And the outcomes they looked at were measured slightly differently," he said.

Ghilarducci also says regardless of those numbers, all three of the vaccines do what they are designed to do.

"What we do know is all three of these vaccines, including Johnson & Johnson, are 100 percent effective from keeping you hospitalized or keeping you from being seriously ill."

This analysis is meant to brief the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.