How Memphis is allocating 8,000 J&J vaccines
A vial of Johnson & Johnson vaccine awaits use earlier this month. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
Though the City of Memphis expects to receive more Johnson & Johnson in the coming weeks, it’s deploying what it has of the single-shot vaccine strategically.
City of Memphis COO Doug McGowen said the J&J vaccine is currently being used primarily for those people who might be harder to reach, such as the homeless or the homebound.
“The J&J is a much easier medium to work with,” McGowen said during Tuesday’s COVID-19 task force briefing. “It’s more stable as you’re transporting it around. The other vaccines only have a few hours of shelf life once they are opened and the vials are drawn up into the syringes.”
But, the J&J vaccine is also being deployed at community-based pop-up events, especially those held in conjunction with churches “where there may be some vaccine hesitancy and we worry about uptake of a second vaccine,” McGowen said.
A number of partners are slated to host community-based pods over the next few weeks. Other local providers, such as pharmacies and clinics, are also requesting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and should get doses when they are available.
According to Ursula Madden, Memphis’ chief communications officer, the area has received 8,000 doses of J&J.
Topics
COVID vaccine Johnson & JohnsonMary Cashiola
Mary Cashiola has been a Memphis journalist for nearly two decades, beginning her career covering city government and local neighborhoods at the Memphis Flyer before being hired by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s administration.
Before joining The Daily Memphian, she was the managing editor of the Memphis Business Journal, which was named one of the top 10 Best Designed Newspapers in the world by the Society of News Design while she was there.
She also has a background in advertising, with a focus on higher education and the hospitality industry.
Comments have been disabled on this story.