Minnesota’s vaccine supply has been limited, but there’s a shipment on the way that will help bolster the state’s vaccination effort.
According to the MN Department of Health, the state will receive just over 45,000 doses of the newly-approved Johnson and Johnson vaccine by the end of the week.
Gov. Tim Walz says it means that those additional doses will be administered over the weekend and into Monday.
“The vaccine works, it’s one-dose, it’s shelf-stable. So the finish line is there, let’s finish this thing,” said Walz.
While Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine has been found to be 66% effective overall in preventing symptoms of COVID-19, it’s 85% effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19.
Furthermore, it was 100% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths. It’s now one of three vaccines approved in the U.S.
The news of the vaccine shipment came on the same day that the governor announced the state is fifth in the nation for getting its supply of vaccines out to those who need it, and he says the process is improving quote “all the time”.
More than 900,000 people in Minnesota have received at least one vaccine dose.
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