Jackson Co. set to receive hundreds of doses of new Johnson & Johnson vaccine

MEDFORD, Ore.– The Oregon Health Authority, says the state is set to receive 34,000 doses of the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.

Jackson County is receiving some of those doses Tuesday. The new vaccine is the third vaccine approved by the FDA. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is only intended to be given in a single dose.

That’s something Jackson County Public Health director Dr. Jim Shames says is just one of the many benefits.

“I’m really glad we have more vaccine and I’m also glad we have a vaccine that is more user friendly. Everything about it is easier and its more like other vaccines we’ve used in the past,” said Dr. Shames.

Along with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine being only one dose, shames says another benefit is that it doesn’t need to be frozen during incubation. He says this vaccine will be much easier to distribute to the public, because of its simplicity.