Detroit mayor declines J&J vaccine shipment, but says 'each vaccine is safe'

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan rejected the city's initial shipment of Johnson & Johnson vaccines last week, but he insisted in an op-ed this week that he believes all the vaccines are safe and "you should take the first vaccine that is available to you."  

Mr. Duggan said in a March 4 news conference that the city had enough supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to cover demand from eligible residents, according to CNBC

The city was slated to get 6,200 doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine. Those doses were distributed to other local health departments, the state health department told CNBC. The state doesn't expect to receive any more Johnson & Johnson vaccines for a couple of weeks. 

"Johnson & Johnson is a very good vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer are the best. And I am going to do everything I can to make sure that residents of the city of Detroit get the best," he said, according to CNBC

Johnson & Johnson's vaccine was 66 percent effective overall at preventing COVID-19 in clinical trials, compared to roughly 95 percent for both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines. But Johnson & Johnson's vaccine prevented 100 percent of hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 in clinical trials. 

"All of the vaccines are safe and effective and I recommend that all vaccines be offered in all communities," Joneigh Khaldun, MD, Michigan’s chief medical executive, told CNBC. "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."

White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt said March 5 that Mr. Duggan's comments on the vaccine were misunderstood, CNBC reported.

"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 of us, the very first vaccine we can take makes absolute sense to take," Mr. Slavitt said, according to CNBC

Mr. Duggan said March 5: "The only reason we chose to not accept the first shipment of Johnson & Johnson was that we had enough capacity with Moderna and Pfizer to handle the 29,000 first and second-dose appointments scheduled for the coming week, which already put us very close to our capacity at our current locations," CNBC reported. 

The mayor added that Detroit will open a vaccine site specifically for Johnson & Johnson vaccines when demand from eligible patients exceeds its supply of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. 

In an opinion article published March 7 in the Detroit Free Press, Mr. Dugan said that his comments sparked an "important" debate over whether cities, states and individuals should choose one vaccine over another.

"The clear answer, fully supported by the science, is that you should take the first vaccine that is available to you," he wrote. "That’s because each one is safe and will protect you and those around you." 

He said the city of Detroit should receive an allotment of Johnson & Johnson vaccines around March 22.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Becker's request for comment.

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association said in a statement to Becker's: "All three vaccines currently available have all been proved safe and highly effective; we urge Michigan residents to get whatever vaccine is available to them when it’s their turn. Doing so will ensure we prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks, save lives, and help our businesses and schools return to normal operations as soon as possible." 

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Michigan Health & Hospital Association
 

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