Tam predicts low uptake for J&J's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says she's not expecting high demand for the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of the large number of Canadians who have received a first dose of another vaccine already.

On Friday, Health Canadaannounced that more than 300,000 doses of the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine will not be released to the public to "protect the health and safety of Canadians."

The vaccines arrived back in April but had been under close scrutiny after the regulator learned thesubstance in them was manufactured at the Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore, where there have been quality control issues.

Tam said that under the terms of the supply contract betweenthe company and the federal government,Johnson & Johnson likely will have to replace the unreleased doses.

"As to whether we need the doses, though, we're actually doing some detailed work with the provinces and territories.It depends whetherthey would use any future Janssen doses," Tam toldreporters today. Janssen is Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical division.

"I think that with the supply ofmRNA doses coming in and the fact that so many people in our country having already received that first dose anyway, the opportunitiesto use Janssen [are]much lower."

According to CBC's vaccine tracker,close to 65 per cent of Canadians have received at least one dose so far and 13.5 per cent are fully vaccinated. Tam said that since theJohnson & Johnson vaccine is only available to people who've never had a COVID-19vaccine dose, "I think that there'llbe very limited use of this vaccine going into the future."

WATCH: Tam saysthere may be 'limited use' for Johnson & Johnson vaccine going forward

Chief public health officer says there may be 'limited use' for Johnson & Johnson vaccine going forward

3 years ago

Duration 1:44

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says provinces might not need the Johnson & Johnson vaccine going forward. Health Canada is returning more than 300,000 doses to the company over quality concerns.

Johnson & Johnson had to throw out more than 15 million doses of vaccine made at the plant in early April after it was discovered workers had mixed up the formula with one for the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, which was also being made there.