Johnson & Johnson joins Moderna, Pfizer as third American vaccine provider

On Feb. 27, it was announced that the vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson was approved for use in the United States for adults 18 and older. Panther Archives

A new defense in the fight against COVID-19 and its variants comes with the emergency authorization of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine. Johnson & Johnson, in collaboration with Merck, received certification Feb. 27 for the vaccine they jointly developed and manufactured.

“This additional tool in our fight to slow the spread of COVID-19 means that we can increase our limited supply of vaccines and provide immunity more quickly to Californians,” Sami Gallegos, press secretary for the California Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, wrote in an email to The Panther. 

This vaccine differs from its predecessors, Moderna and Pfizer, because its unique single dosage doesn’t require its recipients to wait three to four weeks between clinic visits to develop COVID-19 resistance. 

While the addition of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is a promising development, some have expressed concerns with the vaccine’s efficacy at only 72% among the United States clinical trials. The Panther surveyed 250 people and found that 57% of respondents expressed hesitation toward Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, with only 18% saying they were hesitant toward any COVID-19 vaccine in general. 

Jerika Lam, a viral infection specialist at Chapman University, told The Panther this seemingly lower efficacy rate is due to differences in the way the newly approved vaccine was developed in comparison to Moderna or Pfizer. While Johnson & Johnson included mutant variants in their study, Lam said, the other companies did not, which led to their higher perceived effectiveness.

“It’s kind of like being the youngest child,” Lam said. “You get to watch the mistakes your older siblings make, and you try not to make the same. Johnson & Johnson had more time than the previous vaccines to study the landscape of the uptake of the vaccines, as well as the mutant variants that came from the coronavirus.”

With these three vaccines now in use to combat COVID-19, there is new hope for an influx in vaccinations that can be administered this year. President Joe Biden announced March 2 that the United States is on track to have enough vaccines for every adult in the country by the end of May. 

To make this goal come to pass, healthcare workers are actively administering the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which were joined by the Johnson & Johnson vaccines March 4. According to the California Department of Public Health, the state will receive 320,000 doses of the new vaccine within the week. 

“The state is confident we will be able to get vaccines in arms more quickly,” Gallegos wrote. “We have (the) capacity to administer 3 million doses a week in California, thanks to our Statewide Vaccine Network partnership with Blue Shield; our only current constraint is manufactured supply.”

As students, faculty and staff wait to receive any of the three COVID-19 vaccines, Lam believes the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would best benefit the Chapman community. She told The Panther that requiring all students to come back to campus for a second vaccine dose could become a logistical headache for senior staff to keep track of.

While there are three COVID-19 vaccines available to the American public, it can be difficult to know which vaccine might be the best choice on an individual basis. However, Lam and Gallegos both expressed how important it is to take whichever vaccine is being offered, regardless of manufacturer. 

“Anyone who wants a vaccine should take the one that is available to them as soon as it’s available to them,” Gallegos wrote. “All three of these vaccines will prevent hospitalizations, severe cases of COVID-19 and death … We need to help people understand that it’s worth taking and they would be putting their lives at risk not to do so.”