- The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most effective tools to end the pandemic.
- This vaccine can be produced quickly and requires only a syringe and no follow-up visit.
- The Biden administration must provide transparency of shipping data so that states can plan accordingly.
- This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
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In the coming years, the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination will be seen as a historic effort between the public and private sectors, but for the time being, the Biden government and the states have a difficult job for them. Vaccinating an entire country is no easy task; requires coordinated planning between manufacturers and distributors. And successful implementation can only occur with a strong and transparent supply chain. The logistical requirements for production and the increase in public demand for timely vaccinations are on an unprecedented scale, but the approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be the shock that this effort needs.
Injecting optimism into our supply chain
From a supply chain perspective, the J&J vaccine is one of the most efficient tools available to accelerate the end of the pandemic. The newly authorized vaccine creates benefits in the supply chain that allow for fast, efficient and safe production, and the production of any vaccine is the first step towards ending the pandemic. But unlocking the full potential of the J&J vaccine to achieve the target vaccination goals will depend on transparent distribution and planning by the federal government and the states.
The J&J vaccine offers several advantages to achieve vaccination goals. The vaccines in production – the messenger RNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna – were developed more quickly, but require technological updates for some existing production facilities. The J&J vaccine, on the other hand, reflects the types of vaccines that have been produced for years and years, so existing plants can start producing it immediately – with the potential to produce 100 million doses for the vaccines supply chain in the United States. USA from mid March to June. Once produced, the J&J vaccine will be easier to store and ship, as existing cold chain technology will be sufficient and extremely cold facilities will not be necessary.
A single injection vaccine, like that of J&J, also creates fewer logistical challenges for distributors and patients. President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act, increasing the production of medical supplies, such as syringes. Single injection vaccines conveniently require only one syringe. Multiply those savings by millions and this reduces production time, energy and resources. In turn, states will not need to spend energy on coordinating follow-up visits or calculating the storage of second doses, as required by other vaccines. The single dose offers an opportunity to increase megavaccination sites, since patient tracking is not necessary. These sites can allow people to simply look for a vaccine.
The J&J vaccine is a medical and supply chain marvel with great potential, but delivering maximum results will ultimately be the standard of judgment in history. Ultimately, the impact of the J&J vaccine can be measured only by injected doses.
To ensure a smooth process from production to vaccination, the federal government must communicate too much and offer significant transparency for states to plan vaccination appointments in advance. Supply chains depend on future shipping data, which means that manufacturers plan to produce based on the government’s forecast of need. In turn, vaccine appointments are planned based on expected future stock. When these two forces are working perfectly, the J&J vaccine can be more powerful. It is up to the Biden government to deliver on its promise to provide four weeks of future visibility on vaccine shipments to states to allow easy scheduling at mass vaccination sites.
Very soon, states will begin to enter the vaccination phase of extremely broad ranges of the population. It will be a massive effort to ensure that the vaccine supply matches the growing demand created by this expanded vaccination eligibility pool. The federal government and states have a huge opportunity with the J&J vaccine to get more gun injections faster than ever, but the key is to take advantage of the supply chain efficiency created by future planning.
As demand continues to grow and eligibility increases, we absolutely need all possible tools to accelerate the return to normality – the J&J vaccine is the key to meeting this need. Regarding the numbers, the efficient distribution of the J&J vaccine can have a major positive impact on the vaccination schedule. The Biden government is expected to set a target of 80 million by April 1 and 220 million by July 1. We could talk about normality until the end of the summer, and not until the end of the year.
Sanchoy Das is a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he specialized in supply chain engineering and logistics.