(KGTV) — California expects to receive about 1.1 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine over the next three weeks.
Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted that the state is set to receive 380,000 doses of J&J's vaccine as early as next week, with the number of doses increasing as supply becomes available.
The new vaccine gained recommendation by the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on Friday, paving the way for the agency to grant an Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine as soon as this weekend. The CDC would then be tasked with granting final approval, also possibly this weekend.
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Johnson & Johnson's vaccine has fewer handling restrictions compared to already available vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer. The new vaccine is a single-dose shot that can be stored in regular refrigerators, which may make distribution easier. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are two-dose vaccines for full efficacy.
The new vaccine was found to be 72% effective in the U.S. at preventing COVID-19 symptoms and 86% effective at preventing severe disease. FDA regulators also found that Johnson & Johnson's vaccine was 64% effective in South Africa.
It's unclear how many of the Johnson & Johnson doses will be distributed to San Diego County once they arrive in California.
According to the state, California has administered more than 8.2 million vaccine doses. San Diego County has administered about 832,800 vaccine doses, as of Friday.