Covid vaccines explained
March 16, 2021
With the new Johnson and Johnson vaccine being distributed, many people have questions about how this vaccine works compared to the other vaccines. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine has proven to be 85 percent effective in protecting against severe disease and 66 percent effective in protecting against moderate to severe Covid infection, as part of a multi-country study. Also, the vaccine does not contain SARS-CoV-2, so it cannot give you Covid-19.
This vaccine is not FDA-approved, but it is authorized by the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). There is no vaccine that is officially FDA approved to prevent Covid-19, all Covid-19 vaccines are authorized under EUA.
To receive the vaccine you must be eligible in accordance with the state’s vaccine rollout plan. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a single shot into the muscle of the upper arm. Unlike the other Covid-19 vaccines, this vaccine is a single dose, which means recipients will not have to go back and get a second shot.
How does Johnson and Johnson Vaccine differ from other Covid-19 Vaccines?
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made using messenger RNA or mRNA, which delivers a piece of genetic code to the cells, creating a surface protein known as a spike, on the SARS-2 virus. These proteins activate the immune system, teaching it to develop antibodies to fight it. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine takes a different approach, instructing human cells to make the SARS-2 spike protein which will trigger the immune response.
The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for use on people 16 years of age and older. The Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines have been authorized for use on people 18 years of age and older.
The Pfizer vaccine showed a 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 infection after two doses. It also shows to be equally protective across age, race, and ethnic groups. The Moderna vaccine shows 94.1% effectiveness at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 after the second dose. It has seen a slightly lower efficacy in people 65 and older and has shown to be equally effective across racial and ethnic groups. The Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine is only 85% effective in protecting against severe disease, with no differences across the eight countries or three regions in the study.
Pfizer and Moderna are both two-dose vaccines; a priming dose followed by a booster shot. Pfizer’s booster shot happens 21 days after the priming shot and the Moderna booster shot is administered 28 days after the first shot. The Johnson and Johson vaccine is a single dose.
Johnson and Johnson expects that by the end of March 2021, 20 million people in the U.S. will have received the vaccine. They also plan to deliver 100 million vaccines in the U.S in the first half of 2021. This new vaccine from Johnson and Johnson delivers hope that the population will be vaccinated sooner, and life can return to normal much more quickly.
To see if you are eligible for a vaccine, use the link below:
https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine
If you are eligible to receive a vaccine, make your appointment from the link below:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccination-locations
