Manufacturing Issues Delay J&J Vaccine Shipment to Louisiana
Many Louisiana residents are looking forward to taking their very own "vaxxie" photo. That's the term given to a selfie taken while getting vaccinated for the coronavirus. It's all the rage and according to health experts in the state, it's the reason, the vaccine and not the photo, that Louisiana is seeing some of its lowest hospitalization numbers in months.
As of Sunday's Louisiana Department of Health Report hospitalizations in Louisiana were below 500. That's the lowest they have been since some of the early days of the pandemic one year ago. Dr. Joe Kanter, the State Health Officer, says the vaccines are a big part of why those hospitalization numbers have been steadily dropping.
Dr. Kanter revealed in a story published by the Louisiana Radio Network that the state has not received any of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines in the past two weeks. The J&J jab is quite popular because it is a one-dose vaccination. The other popular vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, require a second shot.
The reason Louisiana had not received any doses of the Johnson and Johnson medicine over the past two weeks had to do with a manufacturing issue. That issue has been resolved and Louisiana is set to receive 5,200 doses of the medicine this week. Subsequent weeks should see the dose count increase substantially.
Dr. Kanter says in the very near future Louisiana will receive 38,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine per week. Meanwhile, the influx of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines has been steady. Once the supply line for all three of the vaccines has once again been reinstated then you'll start to see and hear about more mass vaccination events across the state.
If you're interested in signing up for an appointment to receive your vaccine, here's where you can do that.
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