More and more COVID-19 vaccines are being available around the world.
In the US, Pfizer (PFE) and Moderna (MRNA) are the only two that have so far received emergency permits (EUA) from government regulators, but Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) also applied for them on Friday.
Other companies such as Novavax (NVAX) and AstraZeneca (AZN) are also seeking approval.
“Each additional vaccine is a game changer because we are closer to getting enough people vaccinated,” said Dr. Dara Kass, an emergency medicine physician at Columbia University, told Yahoo Finance Live. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine contains one dose. Its storage capacity is different. It offers incredible protection against getting sick and dying and has excellent protection. ‘
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine varies in that it requires only one dose and can be stored in a normal freezer, compared to Pfizer (minus 70 degrees Celsius) and Moderna (minus 20 degrees Celsius). This makes it easier for the J&J disk to be applied in communities that may not have access to such cold rooms.
“Every step in the direction of community outreach, in the direction of accessibility, in the direction of access to vaccines,” Kass said. ‘It’s a step in the right direction. We just need to have as many partners on the ground in communities. We need to get to people where they are, which can mean community pharmacies. This could mean mobile vaccination units. This could mean large-scale vaccination centers in cities that can handle the storage capacity of the Pfizer vaccine versus the Moderna versus any others that come through. ‘
‘We are moving in the right direction’
The Pfizer vaccine is reportedly 95% effective against the virus, while the Moderna vaccine is 94.1% and Johnson & Johnson’s 66%.
In addition, AstraZeneca is around 82% and Novavax’s 89.3%.
Because of these differences, some people have wondered if they would rather opt for a specific vaccine than just choose what is available. But according to Kass, it does not matter.
“I want to be very clear that every vaccine has been approved so far,” she said. ‘We only have two, but we expect to have a third and probably a fourth to offer great protection. Each on its own is incredible. Together it is incredible. ”
Although J & J’s vaccine protects 66% against moderate to severe infections, it is 85% effective against serious diseases and 100% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
“There is no reason to choose between vaccines for the level of protection,” Kass said. ‘You can choose to say’ I can only get one vaccine. I will not be able to get to the second dose again. ‘Or maybe there’s another reason from an operational perspective why you would choose one or the other if you had the choice. ‘
But she continued, ‘I do not see a time soon when people will choose to seek out some vaccine. Because as far as I can see, people are just happy to make an appointment and get vaccinated at all. ”
The U.S. reached a positive milestone earlier this week, with the number of vaccines administered surpassing the number of COVID-19 cases. The country is now on track to reach its goal of 100 million vaccines administered within 100 days.
According to the latest CDC data, which is 9.6% of the population, more than 31 million people in the US have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“We are moving in the right direction and increasing the delivery of the vaccine,” Kass said. “But we are very, very far from our goal of getting enough Americans vaccinated to protect everyone.”
‘It takes time to get the answers’
There are still many unknowns when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines that have been developed, including whether it prevents those who are vaccinated from spreading the virus to others who have not been vaccinated and whether they still provide enough protection against the new strains.
“The AstraZeneca studies from England only showed that the transmissibility of people being vaccinated is declining,” Kass said. ‘But we have not yet proven it for the mRNA vaccines we have here. What I would say to people is probably that you can not transmit the virus, but we have not proved it. ‘
That is why public health experts, including dr. Anthony Fauci, the public to continue wearing face masks and doing social distance rather than exposing more people to the virus.
“Stay alert and wear a mask, but realize that even if you are vaccinated, you will have a lighter course in a very small fraction,” Kass said. ‘But the most important thing is that being vaccinated protects you from getting sick or dying. And that’s the main reason why people should be vaccinated as soon as they get the chance. ”
“It takes time to get the answers,” she added. ‘There are several tribes that are not the original novel. And every time a virus repeats, it has the chance to mutate. We know there are thousands of irrelevant mutations and then a couple taking over. ‘
So far, three major strains have been identified around the world – one in the UK, one in Brazil and one in South Africa, although more have emerged in recent months.
All the companies that are developing or are still developing vaccines are investigating whether their doses will effectively protect against the new strains.
According to Kass, ‘even if there is a change in protection, it will not be a light switch. It cannot be that these vaccines do not work. It is that they may not work so well. And it was the information that came out about the South African variant that the vaccine was less effective, not effective. ”
The South African variant is the most stable among the mutant strains – one study showed that both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 6.5-8.6 times less effective against it, while Johnson & Johnson’s dropped to 57% and Novavax’s has dropped to 49%.
“What I would say still needs to be vaccinated if you have a chance,” Kass said. ‘We need to stop the spread of the virus, which will stop the mutations. And then we have to wait for the information to make sure that all our vaccines cover all the variants that are here. ”
Adriana is a reporter and editor covering Yahoo Finance’s politics and healthcare policies. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells.
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