LI Woman Among First To Receive New Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

BAY SHORE, NY — A Babylon woman was among the first to get the new Johnson and Johnson coronavirus vaccine at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore on Wednesday.

The vaccine was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week and is now the third COVID-19 vaccine being distributed across the country, joining Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.

The new vaccine is 86 percent effective against the most severe form of the coronavirus and no patients who received the vaccine in the trials died or required hospitalization, according to Northwell Health.

"The addition of a third vaccine adds another weapon to the arsenal in fighting COVID-19," Stephen Bello, PA, regional executive director of Northwell’s Eastern Region, said. "In preparation for this over the last 48 hours, we’ve been thinking about the last year in which we've battled COVID-19 every day. When this started there was really only one weapon to fight this virus; the hard work, knowledge and dedication of the health care community."

Susan Maxwell-Trumble, 67, volunteered to receive the shot after recovering from hip replacement surgery, which took place on March 1.

"I have a few preexisting conditions and this vaccine will allow me some more freedom in my life," she said.

Currently, New York's vaccine eligibility includes healthcare and frontline workers, people over the age of 65, those with certain preexisting conditions and comorbidities. Click here for a full list of who is eligible.

Northwell has vaccinated over 100,000 people since Dec. 14, including 52,000 employees. The news of the third vaccine comes one year after the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States which resulted in the death of over 514,000 Americans, including 48,000 New Yorkers.

"It’s a really exciting day. A year ago, we were at 120 percent capacity at South Shore University Hospital," Donna Moravick, NP, executive director at SSUH, said. "That’s 327 COVID patients on April 17. We were the epicenter in Suffolk County. I’ve been in health care for over 40 years as a nurse and nurse practitioner. What I’ve seen here over the last year I’ve never witnessed before. The most difficult thing was when you went home and you couldn’t tell your family what your day was like. To be the first hospital in the area to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a really big deal."

The Johnson & Johnson shot differs from the first two vaccines. The new shot only requires one-dose, can be stored at regular refrigerated temperatures and can stay viable for up to three months.

"This represents a pivot point for our patients," Jay Enden, MD, medical director at SSUH, said. "Before today, eligible non-vaccinated non-COVID patients who were discharged must recover at home and then begin the arduous process of trying to find a place to get a vaccine, try to get an appointment, wait for the appointment and then begin the three-to-four-week period where they need sequential vaccines. Starting today, we can discharge these patients to their period of recovery and at the same time as they recover, they can acquire immunity and protection."