Update 03/08/21: The CDC announced that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine reaches its full protection after two weeks (shortened from the previous 28 days).
The FDA has authorized a third COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, this one made by Johnson & Johnson (J&J). Here are five reasons to be excited about this development:
- The J&J vaccine is extremely effective against hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Among the nearly 20,000 volunteers who received the vaccine in the clinical trials, not a single person was hospitalized or died from COVID-19. This very high level of protection is reached two weeks after vaccination.
- The J&J vaccine provides strong protection against severe COVID-19. In clinical trials, the vaccine was shown to be 85% effective in preventing severe illness from COVID-19. The vaccine was tested in the U.S., South Africa, Brazil, and other Latin American countries and provided a similar level of protection against severe illness from the new variants circulating in these countries. The vaccine is 72% effective overall against COVID-19 infection (including mild and moderate illness).
- You only need ONE SHOT of the J&J vaccine to be fully vaccinated. That means that you don’t need to arrange a second appointment.
- The J&J shot does not require storage in freezing temperatures, so it can be easily given in many locations, like pharmacies, mobile clinics, and community vaccination events. That will help get vaccination to people in more places with more convenience!
- We now have an effective new tool to support rapid vaccination. The availability of a third vaccine means more people can be vaccinated sooner and increases the immunity in our community!
For more information, visit our COVID-19 vaccine webpage.
Originally posted March 1, 2021.