Johnson & Johnson's Single-Dose COVID Vaccine Is 66% Effective

Johnson & Johnson announced that the results of its clinical trial found that its single-dose coronavirus vaccine was 66% effective in protecting against COVID-19. The company said that the vaccine's effectiveness varied by region and was less effective in countries that have been dealing with new, more transmissible strains of the virus.

In the United States, the vaccine was 72% effective, while it was just 57% effective in South Africa after four weeks.

The company said the vaccine does provide 85% protection against severe and moderate cases of COVID-19 and offered complete protection against COVID-related hospitalizations four weeks after the vaccine was administered.

Johnson & Johnson said that it began testing a booster shot in December, which could provide more protection against the virus.

The company is planning to seek an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, which has said it will consider any vaccines that are found to be safe and at least 50% effective. The decision on whether to approve the vaccine will likely come in February.

Health officials said the results are promising and that while Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is less effective than the ones produced by Moderna and Pfizer, it is still a tool that can help put an end to the global pandemic.

Dr. Anothony Fauci said that the vaccine can help reduce the stress placed on the healthcare system by keeping people out of the hospital.

"The most important thing, more important than whether you prevent someone from getting aches and a sore throat, is preventing people" from getting a severe disease, Dr. Fauci said on a call with reporters. "That will alleviate so much of the stress and human suffering and death in this epidemic."

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