The US authorities tested the single-shot vaccine by Johnson and Johnson and found that it is effective against the coronavirus. This means that it becomes the third vaccine against the virus to show efficacy and become authorized in the country.
There are several benefits to this vaccine including the cheaper cost as compared to the Moderna and Pfizer. Moreover, it does not need extremely cold temperatures for storage. It can last well in a refrigerator and does not need a freezer.
This company will also provide 100 million doses of the vaccine to the US within this year. Moreover, other countries such as the UK, Canada, and the EU ordered doses of the vaccine. Also, the Covax program by the UN ordered 500 million vaccine doses to provide them to poor nations around the world.
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) briefed about the data from the company regarding the vaccine. According to the FDA, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine shows efficacy against severe coronavirus infection and reduces the symptoms of illness.
The data also shows that the vaccine has 85% efficacy in preventing severe infection. However, the vaccine showed only 66% efficacy when the trial included moderate cases as well. This trial considered the coronavirus cases after 28 days of receiving the shot.
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According to the data, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine caused no deaths or hospitalizations after 28 days of getting the vaccine. The company also mentioned that it will deliver 20 million doses of the vaccine by the end of March.
An important benefit of this vaccine is that it only requires a single shot while the other two vaccines require double shots to protect against the virus. This will help in lowering the number of doses required and lessen the pressure on health care facilities and medical staff. Also, more people will have complete immunization against the virus in less time.
The UK ordered 30 million doses of this vaccine and the EU ordered 200 doses. Moreover, Canada also placed an order of 38 million Johnson and Johnson vaccine doses.
Until now, more than 65 million people in the US have received a vaccine against coronavirus infection. Also, the authorities are giving 1.3 million shots every day across the states of the country. Over the past year, the virus caused half a million fatalities alone in the US. However, the overall number of cases and deaths decreased in the previous month. Meanwhile, health care experts suggest staying vary of the new coronavirus variants as they can affect the decline in cases.
Coronavirus vaccines are in high demand across the world to end the pandemic. Meanwhile, most countries are unable to vaccinate the whole population of the country. Experts suggest that the pandemic can only end with collective efforts against the virus. Moreover, people who receive the vaccine should keep wearing masks and follow the guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus. Until now, researchers suggest that vaccines are effective against the new coronavirus variants. However, these variants have high transmission ability and can mutate further in the future.
