Single-dose vaccine does well in trials

Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 shot doesn’t seem to offer as much protection as those currently on offer in the United States. But it does have a significant bonus: Patients only have to get jabbed once. The company released a study on Friday finding that its formula is 66 percent effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of the coronavirus and 85 percent effective at guarding against the most serious symptoms. But it didn’t perform as well against the South Africa variant of the virus.

When will the vaccine be available? The company plans to seek U.S. emergency use authorization within a week. Drugmaker Novavax this week also released early data suggesting its immunization is 89 percent effective against the virus, and the European Union just gave the greenlight to its third COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca. U.S. healthcare workers are distributing shots from Pfizer and Moderna—both of which have higher effectiveness rates—to healthcare workers, nursing home residents, and other older Americans.

Dig deeper: Read John Dawson’s report in Beginnings about the technology behind Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines.