Lowcountry Headlines

Lowcountry Headlines

 

Lowcountry hospitals wait for word on J&J vaccine availability in SC

By Patrick Phillips|March 1, 2021 at 1:07 PM EST - Updated March 1 at 1:07 PM

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - With nearly 4 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s newly-approved COVID vaccine on the way to states, Lowcountry hospitals are waiting to find out when they will begin receiving shipments.

The White House said the entire stockpile of the newly approved single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccinewill go out immediately with first deliveries expected as early as Tuesday.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted overwhelmingly Sunday to recommend the vaccine for adults 18 years old and up. It adds to the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that were authorized in December.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare spokesman Andy Lyons said the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is responsible for letting hospitals know whether they will receive any J&J doses, and says as of Monday morning, Roper has not received any word.

Lyons said Roper has delivered more than 40,000 doses to people in Phase 1A since opening their vaccination drive-thru at the North Charleston Coliseum on Jan. 20.

“We have the capabilities of delivering as much vaccine as DHEC can allocate,” Lyons said, adding that their North Charleston site can deliver at least 1,500 shots per day.

MUSC officials likewise said they have not yet received word on any allocations for their facility.

J&J will deliver about 16 million more doses by the end of March and 100 million total by the end of June, but the distribution would be backloaded. Though the new shot is easier to administer and requires only one dose, the Biden Administration is not altering its distribution plans.

The White House is encouraging Americans to take the first dose available to them, regardless of manufacturer.

Copyright 2021 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.


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