The first shipments of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the state Wednesday.
“This is an exciting development. We now have three vaccines available that are safe and highly effective in preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death,” said Governor Walz.
“The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will help our state quickly provide immunity and get us one step closer to ending this pandemic. We know we need broad community protection before we can get back to the normal, enjoyable parts of life we have missed, and the way we get there is by getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible. Everyone who has the opportunity to get this shot should take it.”
Beltrami County Public Health said Tuesday they expected to receive the first shipment of the first FDA-approved, single dose vaccine next week.
The vaccine was tested in three different sites: the U.S., South America and in South Africa, and is reportedly much easier to store than the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
In the U.S. trial, the vaccine had a 72 percent efficacy rate, and in South Africa, 64 percent.
Overall, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine had an 85 percent efficacy against severe cases of COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control ranks Minnesota 3rd among states for the percentage of doses received that have been administered.
Minnesota providers have administered more than 1.4 million doses to almost 930,000 Minnesotans. More than 54% of Minnesotans 65 and older and 56% of K-12 educators and child care workers have gotten at least their first dose.
