JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE EFFECTIVE VS COVID BUT NOT ITS VARIANTS

Johnson & Johnson announced on Friday that its one-dose coronavirus vaccine provided strong protection against COVID-19, potentially offering the United States a third powerful tool in a desperate race against a worldwide rise in virus mutations, Carl Zimmer, Noah Weil and Sharon LaFraniere reported for the New York Times.

But the results came with a significant cautionary note: The vaccine’s efficacy rate dropped from 72 percent in the United States to 57 percent in South Africa, where a highly contagious variant is driving most cases. Studies suggest that this variant also blunts the effectiveness of COVID vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax.

The variant has spread to at least 31 countries, including the United States, where two cases were documented this week.

Johnson & Johnson said that it planned to apply for emergency authorization of the vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration as soon as next week, putting it on track to receive clearance later in February.

“This is the pandemic vaccine that can make a difference with a single dose,” said Dr. Paul Stoffels, the chief scientific officer of Johnson & Johnson.

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