It’s going to be rare for some weeks to come that a person will have a choice between the three vaccines, Schaffner said. Health care providers will get a supply of one of the three, and that’s what will be available to their patients.
“Certainly in the beginning and for quite a while, some providers will have Moderna, some will have Pfizer and others will have Johnson & Johnson,” Schaffner said. “There may come a time where in two or three weeks some people will figure out who’s got which vaccine and they will go to those locations in order to get the vaccine. But I don’t think very many providers will offer a choice.”
People living in medically underserved areas should get whatever COVID-19 vaccine comes their way, experts said, because it’s impossible to know when another chance will roll around.
Duggal said, “If you are being offered a vaccination, you don’t want to wait for an alternative. It might be months before you can get back into the rotation for getting the vaccination, and that increases your risk of getting the infection and getting severe disease. If your physician’s offering the vaccination, go ahead and get it done.”
More information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about COVID-19 vaccines.