The Food and Drug Administration issued the emergency use permit on Saturday to Johnson & Johnson for distributing their single-dose coronavirus vaccine. According to data reviewed by the agency, the pharmaceutical and consumer giant hit proved to be 66% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in clinical trials against the virus, although less effective against the southern variant. African. It was also 85% effective in eluting serious infections and offered “complete protection” against hospitalized death from COVID-19. While the pharmaceutical company is expected to start soon (with 20 million doses shipped in late March and 100 million in late June), the vaccine looks easier to use and store than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two doses and had to be frozen.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a senior medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said Saturday that Americans should not decide against taking the J&J vaccine because they believe its effectiveness is inferior. Inoculation was still 100% effective in preventing death in participants in the process who received it, unlike the placebo group.
“Don’t get caught up in the numbers game, because it’s a very good vaccine and what we need is as many good vaccines as possible. Instead of analyzing the difference between 94 and 72, accept the fact that you now have three highly effective vaccines. Point, ”he said.
The approval of the third vaccine comes just days after the nation reached the figure of 500,000 people. It also comes when experts warn that a recent decline in COVID cases could lead to a false sense of security and a premature reduction in restrictions at a time when emerging variants of the virus pose an additional risk. With that in mind, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is seen as a crucial way to strengthen defenses at a critical time. “This one-dose regimen offers significant logistical and practical benefits for mass vaccination campaigns. It can lead to the ability to reach individual and livestock immunity more quickly,” said Gregory Poland, director of the research group. of vaccines from the Mayo Clinic and paid consultant from Johnson & Johnson who submitted the vaccine to the FDA. “Essentially, it simplifies the process. People just have to make an appointment for the full vaccination.”