The city of Detroit declined its Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses of COVID-19 this week, and Mayor Mike Duggan doubled on Thursday in his reasoning to keep the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
“Johnson & Johnson is a very good vaccine. Modern and Pfizer are the best,” Duggan told a news conference. “And I will do everything I can to ensure that Detroit city residents have the best.”
Detroit reportedly received 6,200 single doses of J&J, but refused to do so and no longer received doses of Moderna and Pfizer to compensate, according to Bob Wheaton, public information officer for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. They went to “other health departments that had lower coverage rates for people 65 and older,” Wheaton wrote in an email.
Detroit received 17,000 first doses of Moderna and Pfizer and 12,000 second doses this week for a total of 29,000. That was 15,000 a week in early February. Duggan expects to receive an additional 25,000-30,000 next week.
“I believe we will have a Moderna and Pfizer vaccine for every Detroiter you want. The day may come when we will have more Detroit asking for vaccines than Moderna, Pfizer, in which case we will create a Johnson & Johnson website … I don’t see that in the next few weeks, “he said. “I would say that in the foreseeable future, I am confident that we will have a Modern and Pfizer vaccine for everyone who wants to be vaccinated.”
The Detroit Free Press reported for the first time that Detroit rejected doses of J&J.
Compared to the two-dose versions produced by Moderna and Pfizer, the J&J vaccine consumes less resources to distribute and administer. It can be stored for months at a refrigerated temperature, rather than frozen, and does not require patients to return for a second dose three or four weeks later. This is a positive sign for officials hoping to speed up vaccine administration across the country.
However, Duggan said the city’s vaccine delivery system works perfectly with two types of double-dose vaccines at a large location in the TCF Center garage downtown. He added that he thinks the additional protection is “worth it” to do the extra work.
Scientists from the Food and Drug Administration have confirmed that, in general, the J&J vaccine is about 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 and about 85% effective against the most serious disease. The agency also said that the J&J vaccine is safe. The other two are 95% effective against symptomatic COVID-19.
“The CDC has recommended its use for all adults aged 18 and over,” wrote MDHHS spokesman Wheaton in an email. “All immunization providers who can manage the storage and management of a vaccine are expected to accept the vaccine.
“The Johnson and Johnson vaccines were distributed to local health departments and some hospitals this week so that all doses were allocated in addition to the Moderna and Pfizer distribution. The allocation of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the city of Detroit was 6,200. They did not receive additional Vaccine Modern or Pfizer to replace the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. “
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told the Associated Press that the evidence shows no reason to favor one vaccine over another.
“What I think the most interested people are, is that going to stop me from getting really sick?” Collins told the AP. “Will it prevent me from dying from this terrible disease? The good news is that everyone says yes to that.”
Detroit gained national recognition for its efficiency tests and vaccinating residents through mass locations.
However, the city still lags behind neighboring counties and the state as a whole when it comes to the total percentage of adults immunized. Of Detroit’s adults, 11% have been vaccinated so far. For Macomb County, the figure is 16.5%; 19.1 percent for Oakland County; 18.6% for Wayne County and 18.5% for Michigan as a whole.
Nearly 251,000 vaccines were distributed in Detroit on Wednesday, with almost 130,000 of them going to the city government, according to state and local data. Others go to private providers, including health care systems.
The federal government announced this week that it would increase supplies of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to states next week to 15.2 million doses a week, up from 14.5 million previously. States were also expected to receive 2.8 million doses of the J&J injection this week.
On the new Thursday, the TCF Center garage vaccination site now allows any Detroit resident with underlying illnesses aged 50 or older to schedule appointments by calling (313) 230-0505. Other eligible groups include food, manufacturing and health workers. More details on the city website.
Duggan said on Thursday that he believes Detroit is the only city in the United States where grocery workers and those in the industry who live and / or work in the city can be vaccinated.
The state announced on Wednesday that it is expanding eligibility for people 50 years or older with pre-existing disabilities or medical conditions and caregivers of children with special health needs as of March 8. Detroit is doing the same.
On March 22, any Michigan resident aged 50 or over will be able to obtain one of three available vaccines, said Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy.
Detroit also marked a milestone on Thursday, administering its 100,000th dose of vaccine. About two-thirds of them went to Detroit residents and the other third to non-Detroit residents who work in the city, Duggan estimated on Thursday.
The drive-through site went from a few hundred and then 1,000 appointments a day to 4,500 on Thursday. The maximum he can handle is 5,000.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.