Fewer seeking Johnson & Johnson vaccine after pause

Appointments went quickly. Of 250 Johnson and Johnson appointments available Thursday at Ting Park, 144 people signed up, and most of Friday's allotment is already spoken for.

Wake County spokeswoman Stacy Beard said that an additional 100 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine were delivered Thursday morning to meet demand, and Radeas Labs was also distributing Pfizer vaccine at that location.

At Carroll's Pharmacy in Smithfield, demand overall has declined this week, owner Alan Carroll said.

"I think today we had less than 50 patients scheduled out of 100 available appointments," he said.

The eagerness to get a shot has passed.

"All those people who were excited about getting it, they have already been vaccinated," Carroll said. "Now we are working through patients who have been hesitant – waiting to see the experience their friends and family have had with it."

Johnston County Health Department representatives said demand for vaccine has remained steady, with plenty of people making appointments or taking advantage of walk-in clinics.

Miranda Hipple was one of those, getting a second Pfizer shot on Thursday. "We want to enjoy ourselves and get back out there," she said.

Wake and Johnston counties put the Johnson & Johnson vaccine back in the mix Thursday and saw a few requests specifically for the single-shot vaccination.

Locations, phone numbers to get your COVID shot in central NC

The CDC and FDA recommended a pause of J&J vaccine earlier this month, forcing health departments to put thousands of shots on the shelf. One of the advantages of the J&J vaccine is that it can be stored in regular refrigeration, so shots were ready to go when the CDC recommended a restart.

This week, Johnson & Johnson has made up about 2% of vaccines given in North Carolina. Before the pause, that proportion was closer to 8.5%. This week, the state has given 82,000 first doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and just about 1,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson.

Gov. Roy Cooper has set 66% of adults with at least one shot as the threshold for further lifting of coronavirus restrictions across the state. Through Thursday, 3.8 million North Carolinians had met that threshold, or about 49%. Forty percent of adults 18 and up are fully vaccinated.