DELAWARE - Doses of the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine are on the way, to ramp up the fight against COVID-19.
Health officials in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia all say they should see doses arrive later this week. In Delaware, the Division of Public Health says it expects to receive about 8,000 this week, but shipments after that will be more limited.
People like Christine Horn say any increase in doses is welcome.
She said, "They can push out 4 million vaccines today and 20 million by the end of May, and what a great opportunity that is for the people that have been waiting in line."
The FDA says this new version of the vaccine is slightly less effective at preventing milder cases of COVID-19, but Christine believes it protects against what is important.
"The decreased efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will definitely prevent you from getting as ill as you possibly could if you contracted COVID," she said, "and it will prevent you from being hospitalized, and those are the two main things that most people are highly concerned about."
Others like Chad Miller say not worrying about getting a second dose makes all the difference.
"I don't know, like, if there's a shortage of the second dose, and if it's too long, am I gonna have to get the first dose again? So, that's why I am all in agreement with the Johnson & Johnson," Miller said.
DPH says it is still developing its plans to distribute the vaccine once received, and said they will have more information at their press briefing Tuesday.
