FDA authorizes J&J’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine, adding to the nation’s arsenal against the pandemic

Johnson & Johnson received FDA emergency use authorization late Saturday for its coronavirus vaccine, which is recommended in a single dose for adults aged 18 years and older. Not only is the need for a booster injection eliminated, but the new vaccine also will not have to remain frozen until use. Both factors will work to the advantage of community health centers and doctors’ offices that lack the cold storage required for the other two authorized vaccines. People residing in rural areas and other remote communities are also likely to benefit. The efficacy rate of the J&J vaccine is 72% in the United States compared with about 95% in the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. While all three vaccines have demonstrated that they protect against COVID-19 hospitalizations and death, public health experts are concerned that some consumers will perceive the J&J product as inferior. While the current demand-supply imbalance dictates which vaccine recipients get, Americans could have a say in the matter soon as manufacturing roadblocks are resolved and availability increases.