A Single-dose COVID19 shot that has been developed by Johnson & Johnson has been authorized in the US in the last week of February 2021 for emergency use. Health officials have been considering it as a crucial alternative to shots that need two doses in the gap of many weeks. The single-dose shot has become quite popular in college campuses and door-to-door campaigns. Experts have expected it to be a breakthrough to reach out to vulnerable communities that often struggle to access proper health care. However, experts now claim that the one-and-done strategy of the vaccine has fallen flat. As per the report, only 11.8 million doses of Johnson & Johnson shot have been administered in the US so far, which is less than 4 percent of the total doses. The officials have warned that for many weeks they might not find recipients for millions of doses that are going to expire soon. They have said that it might be due to people’s lack of conviction and confidence in the shot. This vaccine has been linked to a rare but severe blood clotting disorder that has led to a halt on the usage of Johnson & Johnson shot for 10 days in the US in the month of April. This incident has reduced people’s interest in the vaccine.
In another incident, the Johnson & Johnson shot has received another hit last week. Drug regulators in the US have asked the makers of the vaccine to throw out tens of thousands of extra doses that have been manufactured at a plant in Baltimore as they might have been contaminated. Health experts have said that reduced popularity and supply of the vaccine show that the role of this shot in the vaccine rollout programs in the US might fade away quite fast, though millions of people in the US are still waiting to be vaccinated. Many health officials from a number of states in the US have shown the same disappointing picture. The halt on the usage of the Johnson & Johnson shot in April has kicked the vaccine aside. Since the pause has been lifted, only 3.5 million doses of the vaccine have been administered. A spokesperson for the Wyoming Health Department, Kim Deti has said that there has been a major climb in the early weeks of its distribution but experts have seen reduced uptake of the vaccine around the time when the halt on the vaccine has been announced. Initially, experts have thought that the vaccine is a versatile and easy to store tool, which they will be able to stockpile in bulk at mass vaccination sites to reach out to thousands of people whom they will not need to track down for the second dose. However, after the pause on its rollout, the demand for the vaccine has reduced significantly. At present, the Johnson & Johnson shot is being utilized in a smaller-bore way this week at the Fiesta festival in San Antonio., Nebraska, Pennsylvania, in an aquarium in Long Beach, California, the College World Series in Omaha, and at the Juneteenth celebration in Johnstown.
Public Health experts have said that the US health officials have a missed an opportunity between the smaller number of doses administered and diminishing interest in people to deal with health disparity with the vaccine that might have been crucial in reaching out to vulnerable people. Dr. Chip Reggins, who looks after vaccine allocations in South Louisiana, has said that only a few organizers have asked for the shot even in the states that have the lowest rate of vaccination. Dr. Riggins has said that in the early days of the Johnson & Johnson shot, it has been quite popular among African American community, faith community, and churches. However, it is not being welcomed anymore as it has been earlier. The Arkansas health secretary, Dr. Jose R. Romero has said that the fast decline of the shots shows that health experts have lost a golden chance to use it for vulnerable people in the state. As the demand for Johnson & Johnson shot has declined in the US, it has added to reducing demand for overall COVID19 vaccines. As per the report, around 30 million doses of Pfizer-BioNtech shot are still unused and waiting to be administered in the US. Around 25 million doses of Moderna shot as well are sitting on the shelf and waiting for the takers. Experts have said that around 135 million people have been vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna shots, which is 11 times more than with Johnson & Johnson. Past studies have shown that two-dose vaccines are more effective as compared to single-dose shots. Two-dose vaccines are around 95 percent effective, while the single-dose shot is 72 percent efficient in preventing COVID19 infection.