With Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine now becoming the third vaccine joining the fight against the pandemic, some may wonder what is the “right” vaccine to get.
According to Spokane Health Officer Dr. Frank Velazquez, the “right” vaccine is whatever is available to you.
“So the message to all of us in the community is if you qualify and have access to a vaccine, it doesn’t really matter which one it is. Ideally, take it,” Dr. Velazquez said Wednesday. “They’re all as good and they all will protect you from severe disease, morbidity, and mortality.”
Trials have shown that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 95% effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19, while Johnson and Johnson has checked in at 72% effective. However, Dr. Velazquez says the difference in efficacy isn’t something to be concerned about or prevent you from getting a Johnson and Johnson vaccine, if one is available to you.
“All three vaccines are really good,” Dr. Velazquez said, “Better than most vaccines we’ve ever seen before, particularly in the short period of time. People should not hesitate to get any, including the Johnson and Johnson.”
He would go on to list some of the advantages of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, one of which being their vaccine only requires one dose, not two like the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Dr. Velazquez even joked that he isn’t a fan of shots, so he’d opt for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine if he could.
As far as when the Johnson and Johnson vaccine could arrive in Washington State, the Department of Health says they anticipate doses to arrive this week, however they will not use them at the mass vaccination sites around the state. The mass vax sites will continue to use the Moderna vaccines.
Dr. Velazquez also said he was pleased to see where Spokane County is in regards to vaccine rollout. As of Wednesday, more people have received a vaccine for COVID-19 than have had the virus. 37,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 in Spokane County, and now at least 60,000 people are fully vaccinated, with another 60 thousand receiving at least one dose.
Another positive Dr. Velazquez discussed was a run of relatively low case rates compared to what Spokane County has seen at the height of the pandemic. The county has seen more than a week of less than 200 new cases per day, numbers that we haven’t seen since September. Dr. Velazquez points to continued vigilance by the community as well as vaccine rollout as the reasons for the stretch of promising numbers.
