HAMPTON, Va. — Friday, the Hampton VA Medical Center said it would start distributing doses of the recently-authorized Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on March 8 at the Hampton University Convocation Center.
The vaccine, also known as the Janssen vaccine, is the only single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use by the FDA so far.
They're first being made available to veterans over the age of 65 who have health conditions that put them at-risk of serious complications from COVID-19. Veterans will be given a choice of what brand vaccine they'd like, as supplies allow.
Public Affairs Officer John Rogers said this was an important step in helping protect Hampton Roads veterans from the disease.
"This one-dose vaccine will help us reach our ultimate goal of offering COVID-19 vaccination to all veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated," he wrote in a release.
After a month in someone's system, the trials show that this vaccine is about 66% effective against moderate to severe cases of COVID-19, and has about 85% efficacy against severe cases.
It's also helping level the playing field for veterans who have less access to transportation, according to Medical Center Executive Director Taquisa Simmons.
“It provides the ease of those individuals who may not be available to come back and get a second vaccine, like our homeless population, some of our rural populations," Simmons said.
Before March 5, the VA had given first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to 6,702 people, and finished vaccinating 3,881 people with a second dose.
Simmons said thousands of veterans were still waiting for their turn.
Veterans can enroll for health care and pre-register to get the COVID-19 vaccine online.