- A new vaccine is poised to join the growing mix of coronavirus vaccines authorized for emergency use in the US — this time, from Johnson & Johnson.
- An FDA report has revealed some of the side effects that might be experienced after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
- To date, more than 68.3 million coronavirus vaccines have been administered in the US.
The US coronavirus vaccine rollout is about to get a bit of a jolt, with another new drug maker’s vaccine added to the mix that can be administered to Americans as part of the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of the time of this writing, US regulators were poised to authorize Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, which they’ve determined to be safe and effective, for emergency use — adding this vaccine to two others, from Pfizer and Moderna, that have likewise been approved for emergency use in the US. In testing, the J&J vaccine was found to be 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe cases of the virus overall, and 72% effective in the United States. This new one-dose vaccine is also far easier to transport and store than either of the previously authorized vaccines, both of which require two doses to be administered to recipients. And now, we’re also learning what the side effects of this new vaccine from J&J include.
There are eight pretty basic side effects to mention, with one or more of these possibly manifesting themselves when it comes time for you to get this vaccine (assuming J&J is available for you). Let’s run through them, briefly:
Most of these are the typical things you’d expect to possibly encounter after a vaccine — like pain at the injection site. Also fever, fatigue, nausea, muscle pain, and headaches.
Johnson and Johnson Vaccine Results
– 100% effective at preventing death (Just as good as 2-shots of Pfizer or Moderna)
– Effective against the variant strains
– One shot; regular fridge needed
– 44000 volunteers
Millions of doses coming by Aprilhttps://t.co/wIHa9HHdXg
— Faheem Younus, MD (@FaheemYounus) February 25, 2021
Skin redness is another possible side effect, but an FDA report about the J&J vaccine puts that at a very low likelihood. Swelling of the skin is another possible side effect that the FDA report puts at a low chance of occurring. Conversely, the most frequently reported J&J side effect was pain at the site of the vaccine injection, something that 48.6% of recipients reported feeling. Almost 59% of recipients between the ages of 18 and 59 reported that side effect.
Among other key details to know about this new vaccine, J&J has pledged to ship 100 million doses to the US by the end of June. By the end of March alone, the company claims that 20 million doses of the vaccine should be delivered.
In terms of a more high-level look at the coronavirus vaccine campaign that’s ongoing in the US, Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker shows that more than 68.3 million doses of vaccine have been administered here so far.
