Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine offers strong protection against severe COVID-19, according to an analysis released Wednesday by U.S. regulators that sets the stage for a final decision on a new and easier-to-use shot to help tame the pandemic.
The long-anticipated shot could offer the nation a third vaccine option and help speed vaccinations by requiring just one dose instead of two. Food and Drug Administration scientists confirmed that overall the vaccine is about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and about 85% effective against the most serious illness. The agency also said J&J’s vaccine is safe.
In comparison, tests showed the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 95% effective at protection against symptomatic COVID-19.
“The effectiveness rate is not as high as Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine, but it’s still very high when you talk about vaccines in general,” said Duval County Medical Society Foundation President Dr. Sunil Joshi.
The analysis is just one step in the FDA’s evaluation. On Friday, the agency’s independent advisers will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend the shot. With that advice, the FDA is expected to make a final decision within days.
So, if J&J’s vaccine receives emergency use authorization, which vaccine should you sign up for? Baptist Health Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive Dr. Elizabeth Ransom said: “The first one that you are able to get.”
Ransom is one of many medical experts who say people are not in a position to turn down an opportunity to get a vaccine.
The biggest difference between the vaccines: Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, while the J&J vaccine requires one dose.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines must be kept frozen, while the J&J vaccine can last three months in a refrigerator, making it easier to handle.
In addition, the J&J vaccine uses inactivated virus, while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use messenger RNA technology.
If the FDA clears the J&J vaccine for U.S. use, it will not boost vaccine supplies significantly right away. Only a few million doses are expected to be ready for shipping in the first week. But J&J told Congress this week that it expected to provide 20 million doses by the end of March and 100 million by summer.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he was getting conflicting reports of how many doses of the J&J vaccine Florida will get if the shot is approved.
“We’re working on how we’re going to use that cause I’m mindful of, if we set up a site, they won’t come because some people are fixated on Pfizer and fixated on Moderna,” DeSantis said. “We want people to make these choices, but there’s a lot to be said for Johnson & Johnson. It’s one dose.”
Ransom said the bottom line is “have confidence in the science that went into these vaccines, trust the process and recognize how important it is to get vaccinated.”
Because even though there may be more choices for vaccines, that doesn’t mean anything unless people get the shot and get it when they can.