The Latest: A third vaccine may be on its way
Dear Reader,
I’ve got two exciting words about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to share with you: It works. This morning, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a new analysis showing that it’s both effective and safe, which bodes well for the FDA advisory committee meeting on Friday, when experts will decide whether to recommend the vaccine for emergency use.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has an overall efficacy of 72% in the United States. This is lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna, but keep in mind that Johnson & Johnson’s clinical trials took place in regions where more transmissible variants were likely circulating, including South Africa. Previously, experts told the Coronavirus Blog that it’s better to get vaccinated with a lower-efficacy vaccine than wait around for a dose of one that’s more effective.
After the U.S. death count surpassed 500,000 this week, the Johnson & Johnson news feels especially welcome. As former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden wrote in his weekly update on the Coronavirus Blog, “Deaths are decreasing. Global collaboration is rising. Spring, not Covid, is increasingly in the air.”
Stay safe and stay hopeful,
Yasmin Tayag
Editor, Medium Coronavirus Blog
