Advertisement

‘Breaks my heart.’ Some in Charlotte depended on J&J vaccine to beat COVID-19.

Listen to our daily briefing:

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant | More options

Days after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine received emergency use authorization, local health officials in Charlotte lauded the arrival of the one-shot regimen.

Just one month ago, it was the vaccine that doctors had long awaited to more quickly stunt the spread of COVID-19 — and to more agilely deliver protection to hard-to-reach, marginalized communities. The J&J vaccine had brought the health department’s homebound immunization program to fruition.

It could be driven directly to residents across Mecklenburg County who are sick and struggle to leave their homes, without vaccinators facing a ticking clock. Unlike Pfizer vials, the J&J shot aren’t kept in ultra-cold freezers.

This was the vaccine that could be deployed at familiar places, like Publix and Harris Teeter. And it was specially set aside for residents experiencing homelessness.

”We’re excited that we’re able to get this one-shot vaccine, which will make vaccinating individuals a bit less complicated because there’s no second dose to have to worry about,” Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris had told county commissioners during a March 2 meeting.

But on Tuesday morning, that one-shot vaccine suddenly became unavailable.

“J&J is not off the table yet. I think it’s too early to speculate what the ripple effects may be,” said Lavanya Vasudevan, an assistant professor at the Duke Global Health Institute who has researched vaccine hesitancy in North Carolina.

“One thing that does need to change moving forward is how we talk about the J&J vaccine and how we structure the messaging around the vaccine.”

Herd immunity remains a far-away goal, even with two vaccines still available.

Just over 20% of Mecklenburg residents are fully vaccinated, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

What’s a COVID vaccine fairy? Nationwide network helps thousands find appointments

What happens to J&J vaccine?

About 1,000 doses of the J&J vaccine are now tucked away in StarMed’s refrigerators, said Dr. Arin Piramzadian, the chief medical officer.

It’s just a small fraction of StarMed’s supply, but it’s an incremental harbinger of equity, as healthcare providers scramble to ensure people of color and frontline essential workers are included in the vaccine rollout.

”There is a subset of the population that was really hoping for J&J, where they were delaying getting vaccinated for this vaccine especially,” Piramzadian told the Observer. “It breaks my heart that people are not getting vaccinated because of this.”

As a temporary substitute, some homebound Mecklenburg residents will now get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, Public Health Medical Director Dr. Meg Sullivan told reporters Tuesday.

A vaccine clinic this week at the Salvation Army was given Moderna shots in lieu of J&J, and a large clinic at Camp North End this Saturday switched to Pfizer, Sullivan said.

And come Thursday, a grassroots vaccine clinic should still go as planned, thanks to the Pfizer vaccine. Several hundred essential workers — many of whom speak Spanish or Vietnamese, among other languages — are expected to get inoculated at the Midwood International and Cultural Center.

Samantha Turner, co-chair of the Southern Piedmont Circle of the NC Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, said people are thrilled to get vaccinated close to home in Plaza Midwood.

The dearth of translated information has sparked confusion about how and where to access the coronavirus vaccines, Turner said. Yet she’s confident the J&J pause will not cause panic.

In fact, before the startling J&J development, she’d hoped to provide the one-shot dose to a “tough community to get on a workday.”

“I analyze like a computer. I try not to analyze with fear,” Turner said. “The results have been fantastic with these vaccines, and I do trust them.”

Here’s what the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine pause means for Charlotte

Vaccine safety

As Melinda Forthofer, a public health professor at UNC Charlotte, sees it, this latest hurdle should bolster — and not dampen — the public’s trust in the COVID-19 vaccine.

Quality control previously worked for the J&J shot, when federal regulators announced millions of doses were contaminated at a Baltimore factory. This second time around, Forthofer said, the public can watch another transparent effort underway.

“I can’t stress enough that the process is working exactly the way it should to ensure the safety of that vaccine,” said Forthofer, who’d personally hoped to receive the J&J shot.

Forthofer implored employers to create flexible options to ensure their workers get immunized, with or without J&J at their disposal. For example, large employers could offer on-site vaccinations, while smaller companies could offer paid leave to cover the two vaccine appointments, she said.

Thousands of vaccine appointments are available daily in Charlotte this week. Anyone ages 16 and older can book their slot.

“We want to continue to stress we have full confidence in the vaccine efforts and encourage everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so,” Sullivan said.

Where to get vaccine appointments

Vaccine info in Mecklenburg County: Schedule online at starmed.care or call Public Health at 980-314-9400 (option 3 for English and option 8 for Spanish. Visit Mecknc.gov/covid-19 to join the county’s waitlist or to apply for home-based vaccination.

The Charlotte Observer’s guide is available at CharlotteObserver.com/VaccineAppointmentGuide.

For other providers, find your spot via the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ MySpot.NC.gov.