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Mar 02

Loudoun County to Begin Offering Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine March 6

Posted on March 2, 2021 at 1:33 PM by Nancy McCormick

The Loudoun County Health Department will begin offering COVID-19 vaccine from three manufacturers starting this Saturday, March 6, 2021: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The county will receive a shipment of approximately 1,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine later this week.

“We’re excited to receive another approved vaccine because this will help increase our ability to vaccinate more people in Loudoun County more quickly,” said Loudoun County Health Director Dr. David Goodfriend. “We continue to encourage everyone in the community to get vaccinated when it is your turn with any of the approved vaccines that are available to you at the time of vaccination.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the Johnson & Johnson vaccine—also referred to as Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine—to be safe and effective, and authorized it for emergency use last week. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only a single dose, which eliminates the need for people to return three or four weeks later for a booster dose of vaccine. The newly approved COVID-19 vaccine also has been found to be highly effective at preventing severe disease, including hospitalization and death. 

Like the Moderna vaccine, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approved for use in people aged 18 years or older. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for use in people aged 16 years and older. Loudoun County has been providing both types of vaccine for a number of weeks and will begin offering all three types of vaccine going forward as supplies allow. Loudoun County will utilize the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the county’s vaccination site and it will not be redistributed to area pharmacies. People will not be able to choose which type of vaccine they prefer to receive at the time of vaccination. Loudoun County will continue to utilize all available approved vaccines allocated to the county in the ongoing effort to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“The Health Department does not recommend one brand of vaccine over another,” said Dr. Goodfriend. “Ultimately, the best vaccine for you will be the one that is available to you first; each vaccine has been proven to protect against serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.”

All three types of vaccines have similar side effects, such as soreness at the injection site, fatigue and muscle aches. Protection from the vaccines begins about two weeks after receiving the vaccination. Learn more about all of the approved COVID-19 vaccines on the FDA’s website

Pre-Register for a COVID-19 Vaccine

Loudoun County continues to work as quickly as possible to vaccinate people who are on the waitlist in the order in which pre-registrations were received and in accordance with the mandated priorities established by the Virginia Department of Health.

The county is currently offering appointments to people who submitted pre-registration forms on January 19, 2021. If you have not already signed up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, you may do so at loudoun.gov/covid19vaccine

Stay Informed 

We continue to appreciate your patience as the county works as quickly as it can to vaccinate as many people as possible. 
Contact Us

Residents with questions about COVID-19 may contact the Loudoun County Health Department:
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