The federal government will help launch a mass vaccination site at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with LCMC Health, the New Orleans Department of Health and the state, according to a hospital spokesman.
The site will aim to distribute hundreds, and then thousands of coronavirus vaccines daily, as supplies increase. The Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine will be distributed on the spot as soon as it becomes available.
An advisory committee from the Food & Drug Administration will vote this week on recommending emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson, the third potential vaccine in the U.S. If authorized, the company plans to start shipping vaccines immediately, promising Americans 20 million doses by the end of March, according to a statement.
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Louisiana received 90,000 doses of vaccine this week, but demand still outstrips supply. However, authorities expect an increase in supply large enough in the coming weeks to support mass vaccination. It is not yet clear when the site will open.
“We want to assure the community that when more vaccines are available, we will be ready to offer them in large quantities,” said Gregory Feirn, CEO of LCMC.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will provide a $ 4.1 million grant to finance the site.
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On-site vaccine administration will join Louisiana’s current qualification groups: health workers, residents and employees of the elderly and long-term care communities, school teachers, daycare workers, home health providers, pregnant women, police officers, anyone aged 65 and above and those aged 55 to 65 with certain health conditions.
When the offer increases, additional groups will be added.
“It is vital to intensify our vaccination efforts to ensure that all of our people can be protected from COVID-19 and we need space for that,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “I thank LCMC Health for intensifying the shared effort in partnership with the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center team to put our residents’ vaccination plans into practice so that we can be a stronger and healthier city on the road to recovery. “
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The news came after representatives said the Smoothie King Center and Superdome were not available as mass vaccination sites due to ongoing reforms.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is ideal for major efforts because it does not have the same cold storage requirements as the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and is just an injection. Johnson & Johnson’s was 72% effective in preventing moderate and severe illness in a clinical trial in the United States and 66% in a global trial. It was 100% effective in preventing death.
Emily Woodruff covers public health for The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate as a member of Report For America.