ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida will see about 276,000 fewer doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine next week compared to the allocation the state received this week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC data released Tuesday shows Florida will be receiving 37,000 doses of the J&J vaccine next week while the state received 313,200 doses for distribution this week.
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This latest update from the CDC comes just as the state’s FEMA-backed vaccine sites made the switch to the J&J vaccine for first doses to help avoid confusion and streamline the vaccination process at these sites. The four sites will be administering 3,000 doses daily throughout April.
Florida health officials were made aware last week that a batch of J&J vaccine doses failed a quality standards test. One of the vaccine ingredients created by Emergent Biosolutions, one of the companies J&J is using for manufacturing the vaccine, did not meet quality standards, according to the Associated Press.
State officials have not confirmed whether this failed batch is the reason behind the state receiving fewer doses. Officials with the Florida Division of Emergency Management told News 6 that they do not believe the fewer doses will impact state vaccination efforts as this vaccine is primarily used at FEMA-backed vaccine sites and one-day mobile vaccination clinics.
During a news conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis said there would be an impact on the state’s allocation, but he was not concerned because of the state’s supply of Moderna and Pfizer vaccine doses.
Next week’s shipment of Moderna will bring 217,400 first and second doses while the Pfizer shipment will bring 293,670 first and second doses to the state, marking an increase of nearly 7,000 Pfizer doses compared to this week.
According to CJ Prudhom, a spokesperson for FEMA, the site in Orange County did not use all 5,000 doses Tuesday. Prudhom recommended people to take advantage of the walk-up site while the increase of doses is available.
“If the deliveries are going to change next week, if - come now we got plenty, we will have at least 3,000 more tomorrow, so come on down,” Prudhom said.
The state said they will be able to supplement the decrease in the Johnson and Johnson doses allocated to other areas.
“Last week, in addition to current state vaccination efforts, the state allocated Johnson and Johnson doses to pharmacies, hospitals and other medical offices. With the lower allocation this week, those entities may see a decrease in their Johnson and Johnson allocation. However, the state is prepared to allocate Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, if requested,” Bequer added.