CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis told The Hill Aug. 4 the retail pharmacy chain stopped offering Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 shot at most of its pharmacies several weeks ago, and the change "helps us manage our vaccine supply across the chain, both in our pharmacies and clinics."
It's still offering the shot at almost 1,000 of its MinuteClinic locations in 25 states and Washington D.C., Mr. DeAngelis confirmed to Becker's, adding the decision to stop offering the shot at most locations is "how we’ve chosen to most efficiently handle the vaccines between our pharmacies and clinics." CVS is still offering Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
Johnson & Johnson's shot has received criticism from the public concerning its effectiveness compared to Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines, concerns about rare side effects, as well as production delays, CNBC reported.
Johnson & Johnson's shot was found to be 72 percent effective against COVID-19 in clinical trials, compared to roughly 95 percent for both Moderna's and Pfizer's shots.
The U.S. paused distribution of Johnson & Johnson's shot in March following reports of rare but serious blood clots following vaccination. In July, the FDA attached a warning to Johnson & Johnson's vaccine regarding rare cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
A preliminary study also found that Johnson & Johnson's vaccine may be much less effective against the delta and lambda variants of the virus compared to the original strain.
About 13.5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson's vaccine have been administered in the U.S. as of Aug. 3, according to CDC data, compared to a combined 333.6 million doses for Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines.
CVS has more than 9,900 retail locations and about 1,100 clinics, The Hill reported.
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