Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) rejected an initial shipment of 6,200 doses of the newly authorized Johnson and Johnson single dose COVID vaccine because Pfizer and Moderna are ‘the best.’
“Johnson & Johnson is a very good vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer are the best,” he said Thursday. “And I am going to do everything I can to make sure that residents of the city of Detroit get the best.”
Over the weekend, the FDA granted emergency use authorization for the single dose J&J vaccine.
The vaccine was proven to be less effective than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines at protecting against Covid. But, it is more effective at preventing COVID related hospitalizations and deaths.
“All of the vaccines are safe and effective and I recommend that all vaccines be offered in all communities,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive said. “Also, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was studied in a more recent time period with more easily transmitted variants, so I would not recommend comparing the studies with Pfizer and Moderna directly to the studies on Johnson and Johnson,” Khaldun added.
The White House COVID task force defended Duggan during a press briefing on Friday. Senior Covid advisor Andy Slavitt said his comments about the J&J vaccine were misunderstood.
“We have been in constant dialogue with Mayor Duggan. He is very eager for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. And I think we would reiterate the message that for all us, the very first vaccine we can take makes absolutely sense to take,” Slavitt said.
