The vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson has varying efficacies as shown by FDA documents. In the United States, efficiency is at 72%, 66% in Latin America, and about 64% in South Africa.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). As reported by CNBC, the approval granted to the firm will usher in the government’s scheduled plans to roll out about 4 million doses of the vaccine to states, pharmacies, and community health centers this week.
The new vaccine approval gives the United States a third option as similar consent has been given to the duo of Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE), and Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA). At a Q&A session with the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases noted that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “makes it operationally easier in lots of contexts. I expect lots of considerations state health departments are having around these vaccines is more about the ease of use of the J&J vaccine and how it might be better suited for some populations.”
Different from its predecessors, the newly approved vaccine is a single dose regimen compared to the two doses from Pfizer and Moderna’s. JNJ has a deal to supply the United States about 100 million doses by the end of June with about 20 million expected to be delivered as early as March ends.
The shares of Johnson & Johnson which closed lower by 2.64% at $158.46 on Friday are seeing a rejuvenation in the pre-market where it is up 3.52% to $164 at the time of writing.
Johnson & Johnson Single-shot COVID-19 Vaccine Has Varying Efficacy Figures
The vaccine from JNJ reportedly has varying efficacies as shown by FDA documents. In the United States, efficiency is at 72%, 66% in Latin America, and about 64% in South Africa. Overall, each inoculation dose can guarantee a 66% effectiveness in combating the novel coronavirus disease.
Though this percentage rate of COVID-19 prevention by the JNJ vaccine is lower than that of Pfizer at 95% and Moderna’s at 94%, experts have dismissed comparison between these vaccines as the former’s is just a single dose shot.
The trio will be instrumental in pushing back the rate of spread of new strains of the virus in the US. “We need to get this vaccine out now,” Dr. Jay Portnoy, a professor UMKC School of Medicine and a voting member of the FDA committee said after the vote. He added, “we’re in a hurry” as the variants pose a threat to the nation’s progress on the pandemic.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine also requires a milder storage temperature at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, which is more favorable than that of Pfizer and Moderna respectively.
Global Vaccination Progress
The global vaccination schedule is well on track for some developed and rich countries while most developing nations are yet to get their hands on a single vaccine dose from any of the companies whose shots have been approved.
According to stats obtained from Our World in Data, about 240 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered thus far with just 52.1 people recording full vaccination. The United States and China are the two nations that have the most number of people vaccinated thus far.
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