MADISON, Wis. – Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose vaccine could be coming to Wisconsin as early as next week.
On Wednesday, reports shows the drug to be effective at preventing COVID-19. Friday, officials with the FDA will decide whether or not to grant the drug emergency use authorization for the public.
“It’s easy to store and very inexpensive to produce,” said Dr. Bill Hartman of UW Health. “It’s going to be one of these workhorse vaccines that can be used throughout the world.”
Hartman says early estimates show Johnson and Johnson being capable of producing 100,000 vaccines by the summer. In a state that’s hoping for more doses, he said it can make a difference quickly.
“A limiting factor of getting vaccines in people’s arms has been production,” Dr. Hartman said. “We’ve had two companies that have really tried to produce vaccine for the entire world. They’ve been doing an excellent job, but it’s limited by how much they can churn out.”
Hartman said the AstraZeneca vaccine could also be up for review as early as next month.
“Overall, just having more vaccine available is going to allow us to vaccinate more people,” he said. “We know that vaccinations will save lives, so as we move towards more effective and safe vaccines coming into the general pool, people have to educate themselves so they get comfortable with the decision to get vaccinated themselves and their family so we can get to this herd immunity.”
Officials with Wisconsin DHS have not yet clarified which groups would be given priority for the one-dose shot.
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