New single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson expected in Florida this week

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Johnson & Johnson’s single dose coronavirus vaccine cleared one of the final hurdles for distribution and is ready for the public.

After getting emergency use authorization from the FDA, the shot has now been officially recommended by the CDC.

Just days ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expects thousands of doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to arrive in the Sunshine State soon.

“You should start seeing Johnson & Johnson sometime this week,” DeSantis said.

University of Miami researchers are detecting a number of COVID-19 variants in Miami-Dade County, including three from Brazil, one from the UK and a newly discovered one from New York, raising concerns about whether these mutations are resistant to vaccines.

“That’s the additional mutation that allows these variants to be what we call escaped mutant,” said FIU Infections Disease Expert Dr. Aileen Marty.

Some health experts say the new vaccine has proven to be effective against some variants and is better than no protection at all.

“We are going to have to vaccinated as many people as possible in as short amount of time as possible,” said Dr. Corey Frederick with Memorial Regional Hospital.

Meanwhile, more people are getting Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

At Hard Rock Stadium, more than 74,000 shots have been administered since the start of vaccinations, and strike teams are getting ready to vaccinate some very special senior populations in our area.

“We will be delivering vaccine to 1000 Holocaust and Bay of Pigs survivors in the South Florida region,” said FEMA Master Public Information Officer Mike Jachles.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off on the recommendation quickly, and the federal government may then begin distributing the vaccine, perhaps as soon as Monday.


About the Author
Liane Morejon headshot

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.

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