California Running Dangerously Low On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

California is running low on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as the eligibility for the shots expands.

The state is expected to see a 15% decrease in vaccine supply and a 88% drop in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

As of late Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom revealed that this week, the vaccine allocation was 2.4 million doses, but it will drop to 2 million doses next week. The following week, it will fall to 1.9 million doses.

However, due to the Johnson & Johnson manufacturing error at a Baltimore facility, this week’s allocation of J&J doses was 574,900 doses, with next week dropping to 67,600 and then 22,400 expected for the week following.

California health officials are remaining optimistic. These three-week allocation predictions only account for about 70% of the state’s supply. There is still another 30% sent to pharmacies and mass vaccination sites directly from the federal government.

While the state still has the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the lack of Johnson & Johnson vaccines puts a dent in the state’s efforts, especially now that ages 16 and up are eligible for the shot.