FDA authorizes Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Truckloads of the third COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration will soon roll out across the country. Johnson & Johnson expects to ship 20 million doses in the United States this month and a total of 100 million by the end of June.

What advantages does it have? Compared to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be shipped and stored at refrigerator temperature and requires only one shot rather than two. Although studies have shown the other two vaccines to be slightly more effective overall, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 85 percent protective against the most severe COVID-19 illness. That protection remained strong even in countries like South Africa, where a worrisome variant of the virus is spreading.

Dig Deeper: Read Charissa Koh’s article in Compassion about vaccines for the homeless.