A third coronavirus vaccine will soon be on the market, and Oklahoma health officials are already making plans to administer it.
Johnson and Johnson is nearing the end of the approval process for its vaccine, which is expected to be up to 72 percent effective.
During a briefing on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Health Keith Reed noted that although that efficacy is lower than Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines, it is still higher than the annual flu vaccine. It also has one advantage over the others: it requires only one dose.
"There may be some settings to where it makes more sense to use a one-dose vaccine. And I'll give you an example. Homeless shelters, that type of population that we need to get in and provide some protection to, it would be very difficult to coordinate second doses," said Reed.
Reed said he anticipates doses will arrive in Oklahoma before the end of February.
This news comes as the state is anticipating another five percent increase in COVID-19 vaccine supplies next week, tied specifically to the number of Moderna vaccines. Reed said the increase is in addition to the 16 percent increase in vaccine supplies announced last week.
"Total [for] Pfizer and Moderna, we’re going to get, around 107,550 doses," said Reed.
Reed said that's the total of both prime and boost doses and anticipates that number to be the new weekly baseline for state health leaders moving forward.
As of Thursday, more than 118,000 Oklahomans have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The state has also provided prime, or first doses, to more than 392,000 Oklahomans – which is 12 percent of Oklahoma’s population over the age of 16.
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