SLO County gets first shipment of single-dose COVID vaccine. Here’s where you can get it
San Luis Obispo County received its first shipment of the single-dose coronavirus vaccine on Friday, but it won’t be administering all of them.
According to a news release, the county will instead re-allocate 1,400 of those Johnson & Johnson doses to local pharmacies to administer. The county did not disclose how many doses were in the shipment.
The county’s three public coronavirus vaccine clinics will continue to administer the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as the single-dose vaccine.
“The three available COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and have been thoroughly tested for safety,” SLO County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in the release. “From the beginning, our biggest challenge has been limited supply of vaccine. Adding a third vaccine manufacturer means more supply will be available for SLO County residents to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
The single-dose COVID-19 vaccine was developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
“The COVID-19 vaccine by Johnson & Johnson is very effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” Borenstein said “Adding a third safe and effective vaccine to our arsenal will be instrumental in the fight against COVID-19. This is great news for our community.”
Similar to the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine does not contain the live coronavirus and cannot cause COVID-19 infection, according to the release.
A key feature of the new vaccine is that it can be stored at regular refrigerator temperatures for up to three months, according to the release. This makes it easier to transport and to distribute in rural areas.
Currently eligible community members can now sign up for a first-dose vaccine appointment through the County’s Vaccine Appointment Registry at RecoverSLO.org/VaccineAppointments or by calling the County’s Phone Assistance Center at 805-543-2444.
Appointments are also available at some local pharmacies.
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 3:31 PM.
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