Shots on the Horizon: Novavax and Johnson & Johnson Announce Vaccine Efficacy Rates

Two companies supported by Operation Warp Speed, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), have announced the results of their COVID-19 vaccine studies. Novavax, a small Maryland-based company, shared that its vaccine has an 89% efficacy rate, making it slightly less effective than both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Preliminary findings from the company’s studies in Britain show that the vaccine is less effective against the new strain of COVID-19 that first appeared in South Africa and has now been detected in the U.S. The vaccine will undergo a larger study in the U.S. before it is considered for EUA.

J & J also released data on its one-shot vaccine. The company tested the vaccine in eight countries, including the U.S., and found it was 85% effective at preventing the most severe COVID-19 symptoms. In cases of moderate to severe illness, the vaccine was slightly less effective with an efficacy rate of 66%. The study also suggested that J&J’s vaccine is more effective in the U.S. than other countries like South Africa where the new, more contagious variant is spreading rampantly. In 72% of the study’s cases in the U.S., the vaccine was effective in easing moderate to severe symptoms. J&J plans to submit an application for EUA in the U.S. in the coming week, and is prepared to deliver 100 million doses by June.

Click here to read more about the Novavax vaccine, or here to read more about Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.