Brand New Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Now at SF Mass Site

San Francisco’s first high-volume site to administer 1,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will take place on Friday, March 12, 2021.

The high-volume vaccination site at City College of San Francisco’s Ocean Avenue Campus will administer 1,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to individuals who are 65 and older or who meet the state’s eligibility criteria for Phase 1a (healthcare) and Phase 1b (emergency services, food & agriculture and childcare & education).

On February 27, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose COVID vaccine for use. The availability of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the first doses of which are currently in San Francisco, will help alleviate the vaccine supply constraints that have been holding back vaccination efforts in San Francisco and around the country. However, supplies remain extremely limited.

As of today, 4800 doses of the J&J vaccine have been shipped to the SFDPH, and more have been shipped to pharmacies through the federal allocation program. 346 San Franciscans have received a J&J vaccine to-date.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers several important benefits relative to the two previously approved vaccines:

#OneandDone—the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose, while the other vaccines require two doses. This means that people who receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be protected from COVID more quickly. Additionally, they won’t need to worry about the logistics of making and keeping a second vaccine appointment. Finally, it will make it easier for healthcare providers to do mobile vaccine clinics without coordinating complicated second dose visits. This will allow providers to more easily reach populations that can’t make their way to existing vaccination sites, like seniors and people with disabilities.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine does not need to be frozen for transport and storage. Rather, it simply needs to be refrigerated, which is common for other vaccines and medications. This means that a wider range of clinics and medical facilities will be able to store and administer the vaccine, which may result in more vaccination options for people who live and work in San Francisco.

The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine was safe and well-tolerated with fewer people experiencing moderate to severe side effects than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

In studies, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine prevented 72 percent of symptomatic COVID infections in the United States. While this is lower than the 95 percent prevented by Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson was also extremely effective at keeping people safe from the worst consequences of COVID-19. In studies, after full immunity (or 28 days) the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 100 percent effective in preventing hospitalization and up to 100 percent effective in preventing death from COVID-19.