Jefferson Health To Distribute 1st Moderna COVID Vaccines Tuesday

Jefferson Health will become the first multi-hospital system in South Jersey to administer Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, the health system announced Monday night.

The first 30 doses of the new vaccine, which was developed by Moderna and approved Friday, will be administered at Jefferson Health in Voorhees Tuesday morning, according to the health system.

Last week, Cooper Health became one of the first six hospitals in the state to administer the coronavirus vaccine that had been developed by Pfizer. Since then, Virtua and Deborah Heart and Lung Center were also authorized to distribute the vaccine. Read more here: No Severe Reactions To COVID Vaccine In South Jersey: Officials

Additionally, the Moorestown Mall has been named as one of six vaccine distribution megasites statewide. Read more here: Moorestown Mall To Serve As COVID Vaccine ‘Megasite,’ Murphy Says

In a statement, FDA chief commissioner Stephan Hahn said his agency's emergency authorization of the vaccines was necessary to contain the pandemic from causing even more damage.

"Through the FDA's open and transparent scientific review process, two COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized in an expedited timeframe while adhering to the rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization that the American people have come to expect from the FDA," Hahn said.

In a clinical study, the Moderna vaccine was found to be about 94 percent effective in 30,000 volunteers. The Pfizer vaccine had a similar rate. Both vaccines have a small chance of causing severe allergic reactions. Of the thousands of vaccinations already performed across the country, just five allergic reactions have been reported in the U.S.

See related: Here’s Who’s Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine First In New Jersey

With reporting by Charles Woodman, Patch Staff