FDA Confirms Johnson & Johnson’s Single-Dose Vaccine Protects Against COVID-19, Setting Stage For Final Decision

Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine has been approved and has a chance of possibly speeding up the vaccination process.

What We Know:

• Johnson & Johnson released a one-shot vaccine dosage that will combat COVID-19. According to an analysis done on Wednesday, U.S regulators have deemed that the vaccine is capable of providing aid to end the pandemic. The analysis was just one step in the process to get this vaccine out to the public. On Friday, independent advisors determined the vaccine is credible enough to be distributed nationwide and will be used for emergency use.
• Unlike the two-shot vaccine dosage by Pfizer and other competitors, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is just a one-shot dosage. The vaccine has been authorized for people who are 18 years or older. According to a report done by KTLA, Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA advisory, says the vaccine appears to be just as good at preventing illness as the two-dose competitors. “This is a vaccine to prevent you from going to the hospital and dying at a level that’s certainly comparable to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine,” he said.
• There are variants of the virus, one of them known as B.1.351, which is being shown to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines that have already been released to the public and those still under development. This variant is rapidly spreading in South Africa, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has an overall effectiveness rate of 57% in that region. However, the effectiveness rate increased to 64% after a month according to documents from the FDA.
• According to Johnson & Johnson, the vaccine is 72% effective in the United States compared to other regions. The data then goes on to say that the vaccine is 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19 after 28 days.
• According to reports, the United States federal government will be distributing 4 million doses across the country next week. Johnson & Johnson made an announcement earlier this week that they are planning to distribute 20 million doses by the end of March and 100 million this summer for the US. Johnson & Johnson eventually plans to have its vaccine distributed worldwide.

The discussion of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has arrived the same week the US surpassed 500,000 deaths due to COVID-19. Hopefully, this vaccine will put us one step closer to the end of this deadly virus.