Detroit this week turned down 6,200 doses of the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, with Mayor Mike Duggan favouring shots from Pfizer and Moderna for now.
“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.”
Duggan’s comments conflicted with guidance from top state and federal health officials.
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Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said earlier in the week that people who are offered the J&J vaccine should “take it because declining … could be the difference between life and death.” In a statement Friday, she cautioned against comparing the three vaccines — as the mayor did — because of differences in when and where each company conducted its studies, with the Pfizer and Moderna research finished before concerning variants began spreading.
In the U.S., the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna shots were 95 per cent protective against symptomatic COVID-19. J&J’s one-dose effectiveness of 85 per cent against severe COVID-19 dropped to 66 per cent when moderate cases were rolled in. The Food and Drug Administration has reported that, just like its predecessors, the J&J shot offers strong protection against the worst outcomes, hospitalization and death.
“All of the vaccines are safe and effective and I recommend that all vaccines be offered in all communities,” Khaldun said.
White House coronavirus special adviser Andy Slavitt said Friday that the White House talked to the Detroit mayor’s office, which called the situation a “misunderstanding.”
“In fact, he is very eager for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Slavitt said of Duggan.
As of Wednesday, 11 per cent of Detroit residents age 16 and older had gotten at least one dose. The statewide rate was 19 per cent.