New COVID-19 Vaccine Approved; Public Encouraged To Take First-Available Vaccine

Press release from the City of Fairfax:

03/01/2021

On Feb. 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be used as the latest tool to help fight COVID-19. The vaccine was also recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vaccines now are available from three different drug manufacturers: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. This is good news because it means more supply and more options to help protect our community. Residents are encouraged to get whatever vaccine is available to them first.

All three vaccines are extremely effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

While there are a variety of differences between the vaccines, the most important difference is that Johnson & Johnson only requires one dose, and the other vaccines each require two doses several weeks apart. In addition, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is easier to store.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a different technology, but one that has been used for many years to develop successful vaccines. It is not an mRNA vaccine like Pfizer and Moderna. Instead it is a viral vector vaccine, which uses a harmless adenovirus virus that belongs to the family of viruses that causes the common cold as a vector to deliver instructions, in the form of genetic material (a gene), to a cell. The vaccine does not cause infection with either COVID-19 or the virus that is used as the vector. The genetic material delivered by the viral vector does not integrate into a person’s DNA.

Viral vector vaccines have been well-studied in clinical trials. A number of human clinical trials have been conducted for viral vector vaccines against different infectious diseases, including Zika virus, influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), HIV, and malaria.

Adenoviruses are often used for viral vector vaccines because they can induce a robust immune response. The adenovirus genome has been well studied by scientists. Adenovirus vector vaccines are easy to design and produce on a mass scale, making them well suited for pandemic response.

The Virginia Department of Health has announced that it will begin offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with the commonwealth expected to receive 69,000 doses this week.

The Fairfax Health District is currently evaluating how many Johnson & Johnson doses will be received, how those doses will be given at the health clinics, and how much vaccine will be distributed to the district's health partners. More information will be provided when available.

Stay Informed About COVID-19

• Call the Fairfax County Health Department Call Center at 703-267-3511 with Coronavirus questions; open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.
• Text FFXCOVID to 888777 to receive updates from Fairfax County about COVID-19; text FFXCOVIDESP to 888777 for updates in Spanish.
• Email questions or concerns to ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This email account will be staffed 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. weekdays.
• Visit a web portal for coronavirus that serves as a one-stop online resource for Fairfax Health District information.
• Learn more about COVID-19 on the Health Department Coronavirus (COVID-19) Webpage or FAQ page.
• Follow the health department on social media: Health Department Facebook Page, @fairfaxhealth on Twitter.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.