ANNAPOLIS, Md. — This week Maryland will begin distributing the newly approved single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The state will receive an initial 49,600 doses.
Future weekly allocations are unclear and could be significantly smaller at times.
Federal health officials recommend residents receive the earliest available COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of brand.
Studies found the new vaccine to be 66 percent effective in completely preventing COVID-19, while reducing 85 percent of severe cases with no deaths reported during trials.
READ MORE: Johnson & Johnson vaccine gets FDA green light, 4 million doses expected to be shipped this week
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines each prevent more than 90 percent of the virus.
Johnson & Johnson's vaccine requires only a single shot, as opposed to the others which require two doses.
It can also be refrigerated at normal temperature while the others cannot.
Emergent BioSolutions in East Baltimore for months has been manufacturing the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
