If the vaccine is doled out by population, as is done with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, Nebraska could be able to order as many as 15,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as early as next week.
Some, however, have questioned whether the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot is as effective as the two-dose vaccines already in use.
Ricketts said the newer shot is effective in keeping people out of the hospital and nearly 100% effective in preventing deaths. The state, he said, will use the Johnson & Johnson shot to continue to work through the 65-and-older group.
Anthone said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is just as effective, if not more so, in people age 65 and older.
Ricketts said he will have more information later on whether Nebraskans will get a choice of vaccines once more are available.
For now, however, it’s important to get shots in arms.
“When your turn becomes available,” the governor said, “please take the vaccine that is available to you at that time.”
Ricketts said employers can encourage employees to get the vaccine. In a small business, in particular, having a number of people getting sick at one time can be disruptive, as some businesses already have found.
