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COVID In Clear Creek County: No Hesitation About Johnson & Johnson Vaccine At Clinic

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- They lined up in Dumont in Clear Creek County to get jabbed in the arm. They were among the first in Colorado to get Janssen, the new single-dose vaccination.

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If there was any hesitancy about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, it didn't show. One man, Jacob Papper, waved his arms in the air in joy after getting his vaccination.

To him, it seemed like a ticket to freedom, "So I can see my parents again."

This vaccine is different than those approved before it. Its effectiveness rate may be somewhat lower, but it will still keep those who contract coronavirus from dying and even out of the hospital.

Ben Campbell, wearing a mask over his long beard, explained why he was happier now, "My dad has COPD and I haven't been able to see him in two years now."

There are more advantages to this vaccine. It doesn't require clinics to store it at subfreezing temperatures. It is actually made by a Belgian company. The vaccine is produced by Janssen Pharmaceuticals which is owned by Johnson & Johnson, but it's not so much about what it's called, rather the relief and protection it is giving.

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However, with it comes words of caution.

"Our advice is to do what you have been doing, wear you mask and stay socially distant," said Clear Creek County Public Health Director Dr. Timothy Ryan.

He said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was given the day before to eligible workers at the Loveland Ski Area and the Henderson Mine.

Joanne Mahlomitz, who was getting the vaccine on Friday in Dumont, said, "We will still be very careful, but we'll feel better."

One woman with a small white dog in her arms expressed gratitude for the confidence to be able to travel, "I actually have a flight two weeks from today."

CBS4 asked, "Where are you going?"

She replied, "Oh, Texas, so thank God I am vaccinated."

That state doesn't have a mask mandate after its governor lifted it this week.

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For those who came to the vaccination site in Dumont there is no need to return. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses spaced several weeks apart, for the Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine, only one shot is necessary. It should be up to its full immunity level about four weeks after the vaccination.

Five hundred people were vaccinated on Friday, another 500 are scheduled on Saturday and Sunday in Clear Creek County. Other mass vaccinations over the weekend are scheduled in Adams County, at National Jewish Hospital in Denver, by Tri-County Health in Aurora for child care workers and elsewhere.

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