New Mexico expects to receive J&J vaccine doses Tuesday

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — State health officials say New Mexico is expecting 17,200 doses of the new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to arrive on Tuesday.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the single-dose vaccine for emergency use Saturday, which means four million doses are now en route across the nation.

David Morgan with the New Mexico Department of Health said that the additional vaccines will help push the state into the next phase of distribution, but the state remains focused on the phases seen here. The J&J doses will be distributed statewide.

Morgan said the number of vaccines the state receives varies weekly. The state recently received 40,950 Pfizer doses and 39,500 Moderna doses.

"As a physician, I strongly encourage everyone in America to get the first vaccine that is available to them" said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith with President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was reportedly 72% effective in the U.S. during trials — which is less effective than Pfizer and Moderna. However, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was still found to be 100% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths.