RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has another tested, safe, and effective COVID-19 vaccine to protect against virus-related hospitalization and death.
The federal government authorized the distribution of Johnson & Johnson’s (Janssen) one-shot vaccine and 83,700 doses are expected to arrive in the state this week, beginning on Wednesday.
“A third COVID-19 vaccine means North Carolina can get more people vaccinated sooner, which will save lives and slow the spread,” North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D., said.
Mecklenburg County said they are expected to receive 10,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Beginning Thursday, March 4 at 8:30 a.m., additional vaccine appointments will be available through Mecklenburg County Public Health (MCPH) for eligible individuals in groups one through three. These new appointments will be held March 10 through March 31, 2021, the county announced Tuesday morning. (The manufacturer of those vaccines could vary.)
The following frontline essential workers in Group 3 who are required to be on-site for work will be eligible to make appointments for dates beginning March 10:
- Critical manufacturing
- Education and childcare
- Essential goods
- Food and agriculture
- Government and community services
- Healthcare and public health
- Public safety
- Transportation
"Having a 3rd safe and effective vaccine will help vaccinate people more quickly & help provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations," the county tweeted.
RELATED: Why doctors aren't focused on Johnson & Johnson's lower vaccine efficacy
Like the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines currently in use, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine protects against virus-related hospitalization and death. There are possible temporary reactions, such as a sore arm, fever, headache or feeling tired and achy for a day or two. All of the COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized were built upon decades of previous work on similar vaccines.
"It reduces and prevents hospitalizations and it prevents deaths," Dr. Jerome Williams with Novant Health said last week. "And that's really the bottom line. If we're able to achieve that then we are wildly successful and that will be an end to the pandemic."
This increased supply will help to ensure equitable distribution and access to COVID-19 vaccines in every community in the state.
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is a single-dose shot and does not require extreme cold storage. As a result, it can be more easily shipped, stored and administered -- factors that will help to increase the number of vaccination sites and make them more accessible.
"There are certain situations where if there's a risk of having difficulty with transportation or other things, coming back for your second doses, those are going to be the communities we really target with it," Dr. Scott Rissmiller with Atrium Health previously said.
Gaston County Emergency Services will get 1,200 doses later this week.
"The homeless population, homebound seniors, historically marginalized communities, low-income communities," Adam Gaub, a Gaston County public information officer, said. "Folks who either because of transportation issues or because of work schedules really have a difficult time making it to a mass vaccination event."
It gives people like Reese Golchin hope the process will speed up.
"In my mind people like myself, maybe like you, were going to have to wait a minute before we could even think about it," Golchin said. He and his family just moved to Davidson a year ago, his children only got a week of in-person learning. "Hearing that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine got approved makes me feel like perhaps it's going to happen on a quick timetable now."
Visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov for accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccines. To slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, continue to practice the 3 Ws -- wear a mask, wait six feet apart and wash your hands.
Have a relative or friend in another state and want to know when they can get vaccinated? Visit NBC News' Plan Your Vaccine site to find out about each state's vaccine rollout plan.