Detroit this week rejected 6,200 doses of the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine
LANSING, Michigan – Detroit this week rejected 6,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, favoring vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, but said on Friday it would accept doses of J&J in the state’s next distribution.
Mayor Mike Duggan said on Thursday that residents should receive the “best” vaccines – from Moderna and Pfizer – in conflict with guidance from top state and federal health officials who warn against comparing the three vaccines and note that all provide strong protection against the worst results.
Duggan also said that the distribution of 29,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna “covered everyone who wanted a vaccination this week”. On Friday, he called J&J vaccines “a fundamental part of our expansion of vaccine centers”.
No other local health department has refused any of the 82,700 J&J injections sent to Michigan this week, the state health department said.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said earlier this week that people who get the J&J vaccine should “get it because the decline … could be the difference between life and death”. In a statement on Friday, she cited differences in when and where each company conducted its studies, with the research by Moderna and Pfizer completed before the variants started to spread.
In the USA, the two-dose injections of Pfizer and Moderna were 95% protective against symptomatic COVID-19. The effectiveness of a 85% dose of J&J against severe COVID-19 dropped to 66% when moderate cases were registered. The Food and Drug Administration reported that, like its predecessors, J&J injected strong safeguards against serious illness, hospitalization and death.
“All vaccines are safe and effective and I recommend that all vaccines be offered in all communities,” said Khaldun.
The White House’s special coronavirus advisor, Andy Slavitt, said on Friday that the White House had spoken to the Detroit mayor’s office, who called the situation a “misunderstanding”.
“In fact, he is very much looking forward to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” said Slavitt of Duggan.
As of Wednesday, 11% of Detroit residents aged 16 and over had taken at least one dose. The state rate was 19%.
Detroit this week expanded vaccination to any resident who is a factory worker, no matter his age or where he works. Non-residents may also have a chance if they work in manufacturing in the city.
Detroit’s 6,200 doses of J&J went to health departments in counties with the lowest vaccination rates for people aged 65 and over, state spokesman Bob Wheaton said.
The J&J vaccine is produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus, which has raised moral concerns among Catholic leaders. United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference committee chairs on issues of doctrine and abortion said that Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are preferable “if someone has the ability to choose a vaccine.”
A $ 4.2 billion COVID-19 relief plan approved by the Michigan Republican-led Legislature this week includes a clause that requires vaccine recipients to be informed if and how their vaccine was developed with aborted fetal tissue or human embryonic stem cells. Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer may declare the item inapplicable.
———
Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.
———
Follow David Eggert on https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00