COVID Vaccine: Johnson & Johnson Shots Expected This Week, Fauci Urges Americans Not To Be Discouraged By Efficacy
WEST NEW YORK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The Centers for Disease Control on Sunday cleared the way for the nation's first single-shot vaccine, produced by New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson.
Doses could arrive at their destinations as soon as Tuesday.
One year after the coronavirus pandemic began, it joins two existing vaccines in the fight against COVID-19, CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported.
READ MORE: Johnson & Johnson's One-Shot COVID Vaccine Authorized For Emergency Use
Four million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine are ready to be shipped out Monday. The company projects five times more will be available by the end of March and 100 million by the end of June.
But President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, spent Sunday urging Americans not to view this one as inferior to Pfizer and Moderna, just because it has a lower efficacy rate. He said to get whichever one is available as soon as possible.
"If you look at all three of them, they're really very good. The J&J data that just came out and that was just examined by the FDA, when you have advanced critical disease, there were no hospitalizations and no deaths," Fauci said.
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When asked about easing some public health restrictions already, Fauci said it's too soon.
"Right now, as we're going down and plateauing is not the time to declare victory," Fauci said. "We're not there yet, particularly with the variants that are circulating in various parts of the country, such as in California and in New York."
READ MORE: COVID Vaccine May Create 'Terminator'-Type Antibody Response In People Who Have Had Coronavirus
Speaking of New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo now says the test positivity rate is 2.77% statewide. A chart posted shows the drop in hospitalizations from one year ago, around when the pandemic began.
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And for some, the last year has been transformative in a positive way. One woman in New Jersey lost her job, but then channeled that energy into something even greater.
Jackie Granchamps spends her days pouring her heart and soul into Cecile's Bath and Body, which she owns. It's a complete 180 from last year when she was laid off from her corporate marketing job.
"Sales were down, incredibly, 99% worked in global business travel, so there was no business," Granchamps said. "I was afraid. I didn't know what was going to happen. But I just kind of had this little voice that said 'do something.'"
She leveled up her passion for creating soaps, scrubs and moisturizers, and she says the response has been incredible.
"The attention on Black women, Black female business owners in 2020 has been tremendous," Granchamps said. "The biggest takeaways for me in this last year is that you create your own opportunities. Now is not the time to be afraid."
If anything, she says it's the time to put in the work and be optimistic.
