Starting this week, you may only have to book one appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Virginia.
On Saturday, the Johnson & Johnson one-dose COVID-19 vaccine was given emergency approval by the FDA. That means cases of the newly-approved vaccine are heading out, and the Virginia Department of Health said it is expecting 69,000 doses this week.
Those doses will be used at Virginia’s mass vaccination clinics. Additional single-shot vaccines are expected to be sent to pharmacies taking part in a federal partnership to help vaccinate priority groups at no cost, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.
The FDA’s emergency order approved the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be given to people 18-years-old and older.
Maryland also has hopes that the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be joining the state’s toolbox in the fight against the virus.
“We are encouraged that a third safe and effective vaccine is working its way through the federal emergency use authorization process and are ready to integrate it into our overall distribution plan,” said Charles Gischler, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Health. “We are awaiting final confirmation of our initial allocation and federal ACIP guidance on how and where to distribute the J&J vaccine in the state.”
WTOP has contacted D.C. for comment on its expected number of doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.