The FEMA-run mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Philadelphia Convention Center will be phasing out initial shots before shifting to the recently approved Johnson & Johnson variant.

After vaccinating around 6,000 per day — many of them walk-ups — for the last few weeks, the site will only give second shots for the next three weeks. 

This will be followed by two weeks of giving people the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

A transition to this vaccine — the last to get approved — is a positive sign that production for all three of the approved vaccines is fully in effect. 

Once the first two vaccines were approved in December 2020, the focus became how quickly they could be produced and distributed to meet the demand of a country fearful of the damage the disease had been wreaking on people’s lives and livelihoods. 

For months, more people wanted vaccines than the supply allowed. Since, more than 450,000 have received their vaccination in Philadelphia, with 170,000 of these recipients having also received the second shot.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will further speed along the process since it only requires one visit to gain protection from the COVID-19 virus.

These numbers, along with falling rates of infection and fatality, means that the pandemic might be inching toward an end date. 

It is still important, however, to continue following the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines of social distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands frequently. 

As the panorama of vaccinations in Philadelphia continues to change, AL DIA News will be bringing you the latest.