Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Ships Out, Shows Promise Against Variant Strains
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This Wednesday 83,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be coming to Illinois and 22,000 more will be in Chicago. The vaccine will soon be in use at the United Center, which is still being transformed into a mass vaccination site.
The boxes are being shipped from Shepherdsville, Kentucky, and the vaccine does not require extreme cold for storage like the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
"The Johnson & Johnson vaccine that was just approved by the FDA for emergency use authorization is a game changer," said Dr. Stephen Schrantz, a co-investigator for the University of Chicago Medicine Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine trial involving about 500 people in Chicago.
The one dose shot has been shown to have an efficacy rate of between 52% and 72%.
"The most important part of this vaccine in terms of efficacy is that it prevents severe disease and hospitalization, and it was 100% effective against death," said Schrantz.
Schrantz said while Moderna and Pfizer have an efficacy rate of about 95%, people getting vaccinated should be thinking about how effective all three vaccines have been overall when it comes to hospitalizations and deaths. Schrantz also said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown promise when it comes to variants of the COVID-19 virus.
"This is a continually changing thing, and we're continuing to learn a lot about this virus and how it's changing. But the vaccines that we have now, both the Moderna, Pfizer and also now the Johnson & Johnson, all have shown some efficacy in the circulating variants that are circulating today," he said.
Priority will be given to seniors and those who would be impacted the most by the virus when it comes to vaccinations at the United Center. The mayor says she hopes to have details available about how people can sign up soon.