Maryland to begin deploying single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine this week

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has announced that, following approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Maryland will begin to deploy the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Maryland has been initially allocated 49,600 doses of the J&J vaccine, 100% of which will be deployed to providers this week.

"The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe, effective, and made right here in Maryland," said Gov. Hogan. "Our plan is to get this vaccine into the community right away and right into arms so that we can continue increasing our vaccination rate."

This is the third COVID-19 vaccine granted emergency use authorization by the FDA. State health officials will direct the J&J vaccine allocation widely to mass vaccination sites, hospitals, local health departments and community health centers.

In addition, the J&J vaccine will be deployed to pharmacies that the federal government has selected to participate in its retail pharmacy partnership.

This is only an initial allocation of the J&J vaccine from the federal government, which has shipped its entire inventory to jurisdictions. The federal government has stated that future allocations of J&J could be uneven, and may be significantly smaller than this week’s allocation.

In preparing for the allocation of J&J vaccines, federal officials have advised states that "persons may receive any recommended COVID-19 vaccine and are encouraged to receive the earliest available COVID-19 vaccine."

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Additionally, "a single-dose vaccine may be desirable for people who want to complete their immunization schedule quickly, do not want to return for a second dose, or have difficulty returning for a second dose."