(WWJ) Thousands of doses of the newly-approved COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson will be available in metro Detroit in the coming days.
Director of Health in Macomb County Andrew Cox says 7,400 doses will become available there this week.
He said residents won't be offered a choice as to which shot they receive when it's their turn to get vaccinated.
But, he told WWJ's Mike Campbell that the J&J vaccine is recommended just as highly as previously-approved shots from Modern and Pfizer.
"Obviously there's minor adverse reactions like site pain and soreness in the arm, but nothing that's abnormal compared to the other two vaccines," Cox said.
Meanwhile, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter says 6,700 doses of the J&J vaccine, which requires only one dose, has been allocated there, with one shipment arriving yesterday.
Oakland County Medical Director Dr. Russell Faust is not at all concerned when it comes to brand name.
"Anytime we can get more vaccine, this is a positive. I have no problem with getting more vaccine," he said.
"All we need is more vaccine. So we have a least dozen more potential vaccine vendors in the pipeline right now, and Johnson & Johnson has just hit the world with its EUA — Emergency Use Authorization — so I see this as a huge positive."
Get information about getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Macomb County HERE.
Get information about getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Oakland County HERE.
During an interview on Sunday, longtime director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci urged Americans to get any one of the three approved COVID-19 vaccines once it’s available to them.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy Director for Health and Human Services, wants Michiganders to feel safe about getting their shots.
"It was studied in tens of thousands of people of different races, and it was found to be safe and effective," she said, at a news conference Tuesday. "In clinical trials, 28 days after just one dose of this Johnson & Johnson vaccine, it was 85% effective in preventing severe illness, and no one who received the vaccine died of COVID-19."
The latest information on the coronavirus in Michigan, including about testing sites and vaccinations, can be found at michigan.gov/coronavirus/.
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