Two COVID-19 vaccines are available in the US, and a third, developed by Johnson & Johnson, recently applied for authorization for emergency use, meaning it would be available in early March.
With so many options, many people wonder if it matters what shot they get.
The short answer is that you get the chance you are offered, experts told WordsSideKick. But there are different reasons why certain shots may work better for different populations.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine had 66% efficacy in reducing severe and moderate cases of COVID-19, which includes two mild symptoms or one more severe symptom, such as low blood oxygen levels or increased respiratory rate, Live Science reported earlier. In other words, people vaccinated with the J&J shot were three times less likely to get a mild or moderate case of COVID-19 compared to participants who received a placebo. Meanwhile, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective, and the Moderna vaccine was 94% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, meaning that any positive test with even one symptom, however minor, was present. All three vaccines are thought to be 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 hospitalization and deaths.
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But while the two-stroke regimens from Moderna and Pfizer seem more effective on paper, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has an edge because it does not require a follow-up shot and can be stored for months at normal refrigerator temperatures. , says dr. Peter Gulick, a professor of medicine and an expert in infectious diseases at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. It could help get more people vaccinated, especially those who may not return for a second time, as well as in places where access is a problem, he said.
The less stringent storage requirements of the Johnson & Johnson shot could be an advantage in rural areas, Gulick said. “They can be stored in a refrigerator and stored there, while Moderna, and certainly Pfizer, need much colder temperatures to keep their vaccine viable,” Gulick told WordsSideKick. ‘The fact that you can easily save [the Johnson & Johnson vaccine] in a doctor’s office, pharmacy, etc., can make it more accessible. ‘
This single-vaccine vaccine may also be better for people struggling to travel to hospitals or mass vaccinations (especially those bound at home or in bed).
“People get one shot, but there’s no guarantee they can return for the second shot,” Gulick told WordsSideKick.
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With the emergence of new coronavirus variants, certain protection is better than no protection at all. Because a single-shot vaccine like Johnson & Johnson requires only one shot, the same number of doses can go twice as far as with the other vaccines, which may be better at controlling the spread of the virus. However, the initial supply of the J&J vaccine will be limited; the company initially promised 12 million doses in March, but that could lag behind in production, according to The New York Times.
Dr. William Lang, former White House physician and medical director of JobSiteCare, told WordsSideKick that the lower efficiency should not discourage people from getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Unlike Pfizer and Moderna, Johnson & Johnson tested their vaccine against the South African variant, which appears to avoid neutralizing antibodies that use the immune system to prevent the coronavirus from infecting cells.
“The reported lower efficiency may be somewhat real, but it may also be a feature to test in a slightly different environment due to the newly disseminated variants,” Lang said. “If my 88-year-old father or I are offered J&J, I will not hesitate to get it.”
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In view of the emergence of vaccine variants, such as the South African and Brazilian variants, the spread is needed as quickly as possible to reduce the chance of further development, Gulick said.
On the other hand, it appears that the vaccines Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech, which send mRNA into muscle cells to tell the body to produce an immune response to the coronavirus protein, have higher efficacy, Lang said.
Gulick said high-risk groups, such as the elderly, who have a less robust immune response, and people who are immune-less, should be given preference to vaccines with higher efficacy.
“I would probably go with the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccine, at least for my patients with HIV. But if the insurance only covers a certain amount of coverage, I would say give it to them, because I just want the vaccine have their arm, “Gulick said.” But I would have chosen the two-dose admission if I had preferred. ”
While the world exceeds 100 million COVID-19 cases, most of us, according to the World Health Organization dashboard, will not get the chance to choose: it is important to just be vaccinated.
Originally published on Live Science.