By Tim Mastro

DOVER — Due to an expected reduced supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the next three weeks, along with the need to accommodate second doses for persons vaccinated at state-run events, the Delaware Division of Public Health is expecting to have fewer large vaccination events over the next few weeks than had been previously planned.

The DPH said those signed up on the state waiting list may have to wait longer for an appointment. The state will increase access to first-dose appointments as soon as the supply increases again, according to the DPH.

The decline in Johnson & Johnson shipments is due to a recent batch which failed quality standards and can’t be used, as announced by Johnson & Johnson recently. A vaccine ingredient made by Emergent BioSolutions in Baltimore, one of about 10 companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine, did not meet quality standards, Johnson & Johnson said.

Delaware has received a total of 41,400 Johnson & Johnson doses so far after it was approved in the final week of February, compared to 344,175 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 294,600 of the Moderna vaccine. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the only one-dose vaccine currently approved for use in the United States.

A total of 544,615 administered doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been reported to the state’s immunization information system, DelVAX as of Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

The DPH reported Friday 154 individuals are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Delaware — the third-highest number in the last 30 days. Of those hospitalized, 21 cases are considered critical, the DPH said, which is an increase of eight from this time last week.

A total of 97,784 positive cases of COVID-19 among Delaware residents have been reported to the DPH as of Thursday at 6 p.m. That figure includes 388 new positives reported in Friday’s update.

Delaware’s seven-day rolling average for percentage of positive tests has dropped to 5.3%, compared to 5.7% on March 31. The mark of 5.3% is as of Tuesday at 6 p.m. due to a two-day lag to account for the time delay between the date of the test and the date the DPH receives the test result. It is still just above the World Health Organization’s recommended mark of 5%.

The DPH reported five recent COVID-19-related deaths on Friday, including one individual who did not have an underlying health condition. The deaths ranged in age from 53 to 94 years old and bring the state’s total to 1,573.

Two were from Kent County, two more were from Sussex County and one was a New Castle County resident. None were residents of a long-term care center as that number remained at 733.