KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri is expected to receive 50,000 doses of the recently approved, single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Randall Williams, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services director, signed a standing order for use of the vaccine, according to a news release. Williams said the order authorizes “approved vaccinators” to begin using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as soon as they receive it.
During the “initial weeks” of its availability, the vaccine will be allocated through “current delivery channels,” Gov. Mike Parson said in the release.
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“Hospitals, local public health agencies, federally qualified health centers and mass vaccination clinics will be included in the plan to distribute the Janssen vaccine so local providers can help determine which populations could be best served with a single-dose regimen,” Parson said.
Janssen Biotech is a pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson.
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It is the third approved COVID-19 vaccine, but the first to only require a single dose. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines each require two doses.
In a separate Facebook post Sunday afternoon, Parson said vaccines are allocated “proportional to population.”
“Ensuring fair and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine has been a top priority of our plan since it was developed in October,” he said in the post.
More information about COVID-19 vaccines in the state can be found on the Missouri COVID-19 vaccine navigator website.
