Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Clinic on March 12

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Clinic on March 12

North Central Public Health District has received the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine and will have a clinic this Friday, March 12, using that vaccine only. There will be 150 slots open and they will be available for booking today.

The health district has been distributing the two-dose Moderna vaccine already. Having different types of vaccine available for use can offer more options and flexibility for the public.

As to the question of which vaccine to get, we urge you to get whatever vaccine you can. Whether it is the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine, getting as many people vaccinated as possible will be the key to ending this pandemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has endorsed the safety and effectiveness of the Johnson & Johnson (also known as Janssen) vaccine for those 18 and older. The vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in preventing severe COVID-19 illness, and was 100 % effective at preventing hospitalization and death due to COVID-19.

Since Johnson & Johnson is a one-dose vaccine, people do not have to return for a second dose to be protected. Trials of the vaccine found it was 66 % effective in preventing moderate to severe disease, and 85 % effective in preventing severe or critical disease.

That may appear to be less effective than the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. But public health experts caution against making direct comparisons. The clinical studies for the three vaccines were done at different times under different conditions and across different geographies, while viral variants were emerging 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is very safe, with only a few side effects reported. Those include arm pain and redness at the vaccine site, fatigue and headaches.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is similar but not identical to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines already approved, which use Messenger RNA, or mRNA. Instead of injecting strands of mRNA into patients, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine injects an inactive virus with DNA inside. The end result is the same though. They all teach the body how to create the spike protein found on the surface of the COVID virus so that the next time the body is exposed to the spike protein it will fight it with antibodies.

To sign up for vaccine, visit https://www.ncphd.org/phase-notifications and fill out the form. Those 65 and older are currently eligible for the vaccine, as are first responders, healthcare workers, educators and childcare providers, and paid/unpaid caregivers and those receiving in-home care.

When your group is eligible, you will get an email the next time we have openings with a link and password to our online booking system so you can book your own appointment. Slots fill quickly, but we add more weekly. Please keep checking back weekly if you don’t find an opening. You can also call the Mid-Columbia Senior Center at 541-296-4788 (for those who are 65 or older), or North Central Public Health District at 541-506-2600.

 We ask the community to help their older neighbors, family or friends with the online signup and appointment booking process. You can use your own email to set them up and book them an appointment.

(For more information, please visit COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon or contact North Central Public Health District at (541) 506-2600 or visit us on the web at www.ncphd.org or https://wascoshermangilliamcovid-19.com/)