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South Carolina expects Johnson & Johnson vaccine soon

DHEC announced 41,400 Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will be in South Carolina this week.

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SOUTH CAROLINA, USA — The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to arrive in South Carolina any day now. Health officials believe a third brand of the vaccine will allow more residents to get vaccinated.

"If you're offered the Jansen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine, take it," said DHEC's Director Dr. Edward Simmer.

DHEC announced 41,400 Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will be in South Carolina this week. They didn't give a specific day when the vaccine will arrive, but officials did say it will be available at 125 independent pharmacies across the state starting next week.

"In many cases, those are going to be smaller providers in underserved areas," said Dr. Simmer. "We are going to be looking at some of those doses to expand our provider pool. We're also considering using them at our mass vaccination events where it's harder to get folks back for a second dose."

Dr. Linda Bell gave an update and answered questions today about the COVID-19 vaccine in South Carolina, including Phase 1b and the Janssen vaccine.

Listen: https://t.co/EzlT3OOWQi
— SCDHEC (@scdhec) March 3, 2021

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single-dose vaccine that doesn't require two shots like Moderna and Pfizer. DHEC leaders say the vaccine doesn't contain the live virus and has a high protection rate against severe disease.

"If you look at the numbers, it is 85 percent against serious illness," explained Dr. Simmer. "In these large study groups, no one died who got it."

"As we continue to roll this out and continue to get the Jansen doses, we will also be providing it to physician offices who had the challenges of meeting storage handling requirements," said DHEC's State Epidemiologist Linda Bell.

RELATED: How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in South Carolina

RELATED: 'Getting a vaccine in South Carolina should be easy': DHEC preps for Phase 1b

Here is a list of pharmacies the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered.