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The important reason you shouldn't wait for a specific vaccine

State and local health leaders are urging people to take whatever vaccine is available. Holding out for the Johnson & Johnson shot could leave you waiting a while.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With many people rushing to get in line for the COVID-19 vaccine, research shows some people are holding out for the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine

While it might seem easier and faster to get the one-dose vaccine, you could be waiting a while. One and done does sound tempting when it comes to the vaccine, but it's probably not a good personal vaccination strategy, as experts believe it could be months before the Johnson & Johnson shot is readily available. 

Their advice? Don't be picky. Take any vaccine you can get, when you can get it. Right now, the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are significantly easier to get in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area

According to data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the state received 460,000 COVID-19 vaccines last week. Of those, only 11,500 were the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That's about 2% of all vaccines shipped to North Carolina

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The company is still trying to ramp up production, and in the meantime, their vaccines are being strategically shipped to clinics serving very specific groups: colleges and underserved communities.  

That means your chance of gaming the system and getting it at your doctor's office or local pharmacy is very slim. 

So if you're wanting to get vaccinated as soon as possible, two shots, a few weeks apart, is still your best bet. 

Have a relative or friend in another state and want to know when they can get vaccinated? Visit NBC News' Plan Your Vaccine site to find out about each state's vaccine rollout plan.

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