There are a lot of numbers thrown around when it comes to Johnson and Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. But what do they call mean?
Let’s connect the dots.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released its analysis of the single-shot COVID vaccine reporting it was 66 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe cases around the world. But when you don’t include moderate cases it is 85 percent effective in preventing severe illness.
What is even more impressive was it completely prevented hospitalizations and death.
Even some of the figures that don’t look as promising have a silver lining.
Johnson and Johnson’s shot was only 64 percent effective in South Africa trials, where a contagious variant is now responsible for most cases. But that is significantly better than other vaccines tried in the country and led the government to stop administering the AstraZeneca vaccine and start giving Johnson and Johnson’s instead.
The other reason health experts think the Johnson and Johnson vaccine could be an effective weapon in the war on COVID -- it’s a single shot.
Plus, it can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures for at least three months, making it easier to distribute and fully vaccinate people.
If Johnson and Johnson's COVID vaccine is approved, 4 million doses of the vaccine could be ready to be shipped by next week.