WASHINGTON (AP) – The country is poised to get a third COVID-19 vaccine, but since at first glance, Johnson & Johnson’s shot may not be considered equivalent to other options, health officials are on the question : which one is the best?
If approved for emergency use, the J&J vaccine would provide a one-dose option that could help speed up vaccinations, stop a pandemic that killed more than 500,000 people in the US, and stay ahead of a mutating virus .
“I think it will be huge,” said Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the public health department in Marion County, Indiana, which also includes Indianapolis. She expects the easier-to-use vaccine will give local officials more flexibility for mobile vaccination clinics or pop-up events.
The challenge will be to explain how protective the J&J shot is after the astonishing success of the first US vaccines.
Two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna injections were found to be approximately 95% effective against symptomatic COVID-19. The numbers from J & J’s study are not that high, but it is not a comparison between apples and apples. One dose of the J&J vaccine was 85% protective against the most severe COVID-19. After addition in moderate cases, the overall effectiveness decreased to about 66%.
“I don’t think it’s a second-rate vaccine, but we have to avoid that perception,” said Dr. Thomas Balcezak of the Yale New Haven Health System.
The J&J image was tested in the US, Latin America and South Africa at a time when more contagious mutated versions of the virus spread. That wasn’t the case last fall, as Pfizer and Moderna were finishing tests, and it’s not clear if their numbers would count against the most concerning of those variants.
Importantly, the Food and Drug Administration reported this week that the J&J shot, like its predecessors, offers strong protection against the worst outcomes. 28 days after the injection, there were no hospitalizations or deaths in volunteers who received the J&J injection, compared with 16 hospitalizations and seven deaths in those who received a dummy injection.
Independent advisers to the FDA began a day-long discussion on Friday about widespread use of J & J’s vaccine, allowing a final decision to be made within days.
Despite declining cases, hospitalizations and deaths, government scientists warned circulating variants could slow progress against the pandemic.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Adam MacNeil of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If the J&J vaccine is authorized, US officials expect to distribute only a few million doses among states on initial shipments. But in late March, J&J has said it could provide enough to vaccinate 20 million people – a much-needed boost to stretched supplies.
The bottom line: “Whatever vaccine is offered is what you want,” said immunologist E. John Wherry of the University of Pennsylvania.
Still, the nuances of the vaccines raise ethical questions.
At Yale, Balcezak grapples with how to best utilize the benefits of the J&J admission without appearing to target it at disadvantaged populations. For instance, it’s a natural choice for homeless shelters where people may have moved before their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
“I am very concerned about how that would be perceived,” said Balcezak.
The J&J vaccine is also easier to handle and will keep for three months in the refrigerator compared to the Pfizer and Moderna options, which must be frozen.
Balcezak said the Yale system has partnered with pastors and other “cultural ambassadors” to answer vaccine questions from minority communities, and will also discuss the possibilities of the J&J shot.
In Washington State, health officials see a clear need for one-time vaccinations – including sailors in the maritime industry, who can spend months on cargo and fishing vessels.
“This is the ideal vaccine for them,” said Dr. Scott Lindquist of the Washington State Department of Health. With the two-dose vaccines, the state had to “send the second doses to the next port of call.”
Other parts of the world are already facing the best of challenges. For example, AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been approved for use in the UK and Europe after data suggested it was about 70% effective.
The Italian government recently decided to reserve Pfizer and Moderna injections for the elderly and allocate the AstraZeneca vaccine to younger, at-risk workers, sparking protests of the country’s main teachers’ union. Canada became the last country to allow the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.
In the US, health officials say it’s critical for the government to deliver a clear message.
“Right now it’s not a vaccine vaccine, it’s a virus vaccine,” said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington State contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’s Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Department. The AP is solely responsible for all content.