Waltham's PhysicianOne Urgent Care Offering J&J Vaccine

WALTHAM, MA — PhysicianOne Urgent Care is now offering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at their Waltham location.

The urgent care center, located at 1019 Trapelo Rd., is encouraging eligible individuals who are not yet vaccinated to sign up for an appointment here.

Dr. Brian Cruz, Regional Medical Director for PhysicianOne, has released the following information on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to help ease any hesitation or concern surrounding the shot after distribution was paused earlier this year:

How effective is the Johnson and Johnson vaccine?

“This vaccine has been seen to be around 67% effective in clinical trials. For reference, this is a similar efficacy we see in the flu vaccine each year.”

How is the Johnson and Johnson vaccine different from Pfizer and Moderna?

“The J&J vaccine is a viral vector COVID-19 vaccine. It is different from mRNA COVID-19 vaccines because viral vector vaccines contain a modified version of a different virus (“the vector”) than the one that causes COVID-19 and works by delivering instructions to our cells to protect us from infection. As a result of this different structure, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine only requires one dose.”

Will this vaccine protect me from the delta variant?

“Vaccines will help prevent serious illness or hospitalization due to COVID-19. The delta variant is highly transmissible and fully vaccinated people can pass the virus onto the non-vaccinated, such as children under 12. Wearing a mask and maintaining social distance has been a proven way to reduce viral transmission. If you suspect you may have been exposed to COVID-19, you can get a PCR test at any PhysicianOne location.”

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine distribution was paused in April. Does this mean the vaccine is unsafe?

“The FDA and CDC recommended a pause in the use of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of serious adverse events of a type of blood clot in the large blood vessels in the brain. This was done out of an abundance of caution. At the time, out of the 6.8 million shots that had been administered, there were six cases of these blood clots. That number increased to 28 in May after a total of 9 million doses had been administered. CDC scientists reported that even for the age group that appears at highest risk — women aged 30 to 39 — the risk from COVID-19 is greater than the risk of developing blood clots after getting the J&J vaccine, especially as more infectious strains like Delta continue to rise.”

Can the Johnson and Johnson vaccine lead to fertility issues in women?

“There is no evidence that Johnson and Johnson or any other COVID-19 vaccine can influence female or male fertility.”

For more information on services offered at PhysicianOne or to request a virtual visit, click here.