COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the approval of a third vaccine to be used in the fight against COVID, there are questions about how it compares to the other two vaccines already being administered to the public.

What You Need To Know

  • Johnson & Johnson received Emergency Use Authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine

  • Johnson & Johnson said the vaccine is 66% effective overall

  • OSU doctor said that efficacy rate is "great news"

  • He said it's comparable to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines when you add in new COVID-19 variants

When you compare the efficacy rates, numbers reported have been as high as around 95% for both Pfizer and Moderna at preventing COVID-19 symptoms.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is 66% effective overall.

So what does this mean and is it even worth getting? We asked Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, the chief quality and patient safety officer at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

“The efficacy that's coming out from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is great news,” he explained.

He said that’s because things have changed a lot in the last few months with the introduction of new, more contagious COVID-19 variants which have been a part of Johnson & Johnson’s clinical trials.

“It's no surprise to see a number that's a little bit lower than Pfizer and Moderna, which were really tested in a better environment with none of those variants that are a little bit harder to control,” Dr. Gonsenhauser says. “Very likely if Moderna and Pfizer were tested in the same circumstances, you would see very similar efficacy. Don't be alarmed and don't be concerned and don't let that dissuade you from getting the Johnson vaccine.”

He said the data is really comparable across the board and, yes, he said the vaccine is safe. But he also said we’re still waiting to see if side effects emerge once it’s released to the public.

“The thing that is really important to know this is a single dose vaccine, so one shot,” he said.

That will be huge in trying to get more people vaccinated and they will not have to worry about getting a second dose. That, along with other changes in the works, means more supply and more people getting immunized quicker.

“How the Pfizer medication is refrigerated easing up some of the restrictions around putting it in super cold storage which is going to make it easier to ship,” Gonsenhauser explained. “Then with Moderna looking at potentially increasing the number of doses per vial. And those things are going to help improve the supply side.”

Johnson & Johnson said they will be shipping the vaccine immediately.

More than 20 million doses are coming to the U.S. in this month alone.

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