Social

Home page

Social

Janssen's single-dose Covid vaccine 66% effective

29 January 2021 18:43 (UTC +04:00)

The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Janssen is 66% effective, the Belgian company has announced, APA reports citing BBC.

But nobody needed hospital treatment or died from coronavirus after the vaccine took effect in the international trial.

Crucially, it looked at giving just one dose of the vaccine, which makes it significantly easier to roll out than those requiring two.

Although there are also signs it is less effective against the new variant that is spreading in South Africa.

The news comes shortly after Novavax announced their jab was 89% effective overall and 60% in South Africa. Both new vaccines will need to be reviewed by regulators before they can be used.

Janssen, a pharmaceutical company owned by Johnson & Johnson, is also investigating whether giving two doses will give either stronger or longer-lasting protection.

The fact it works as a single-dose and can be kept in a standard fridge, while others need super-cold storage, means the vaccine could have a significant role around the world.

"A one-shot vaccine is considered by the World Health Organization to be the best option in pandemic settings," Dr Paul Stoffels, the chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson, said.

He added the vaccine could "potentially protect hundreds of millions of people from serious and fatal outcomes of Covid-19".

The company is aiming to make one billion doses this year.