We have a THIRD COVID-19 vaccine but is our improvement stalling?

Today, February 28, 2021, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been given Emergency Use Authorization for Americans, 18 and over. This vaccine employs a previously used technology consisting of a genetically engineered model of a portion of the virus protein transported on an inactive, commonly occurring, virus (adenovirus).  Let us be clear that there is no live virus used and no chance that anyone who takes the vaccine can contract a disease from the vaccine. This J&J vaccine was tested on 44,000 people in the USA, South Africa, and Latin America. The US testing has found this vaccination to be 72% effective in preventing clinically apparent disease, 85% effective in preventing severe disease and 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death. A huge advantage that this vaccination has over the Moderna and the Pfizer mRNA vaccines is that it only requires regular refrigeration for storage and not the freezer or super freezer storage, respectively, of the other two. The other advantage is that the J&J vaccine is only ONE shot as opposed to the other two requiring two injections, 4 or 3 weeks apart. There are four million doses of the J&J ready for immediate shipping and 20 million doses expected by the end of March.  The company has contracted to deliver US 100 million doses by the end of June. 

The progress made against COVID-19 is on somewhat shaky ground even though since the January 11 peak the seven-day case average has dropped 74% and hospital admissions have decreased 60% since their peak in January. The recently experienced steady decline in the new daily cases have leveled out at about 65,000 for the last five consecutive days, and still above the peak averages of the summer surge of 2020.  The global death count is 2.53 million.  Our country continues to bear a disproportionate 20% share of the world’s deaths although we have only 4.5% of the world’s population. 

The pace at which Americans are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to improve.  The Biden administration committed to 100 million vaccinations in their first 100 days. A recognition of 50 million shots in arms at the first 37 days was just completed. Total injections since December 2020 is 72 million or 14.6% of the US population. The focus on older Americans has resulted in a dramatic drop in nursing home cases and 50% of the citizens over the age of 65 have been vaccinated, versus 8% four weeks ago. Specific attention in being paid to eliminating the early disparities seen and anticipated in vaccine administration by federal distribution centers and mobile units being stood up in underserved communities.  These efforts are being further aided by the utilization of local pharmacies, community medical centers and hospitals, and even door to door injections. Pulling out all stops to get Americans vaccinated is extremely important because we must get 75-80% of Americans vaccinated to reach population immunity sufficient to lessen spread. The benefits of vaccinations have been based on clinical trials until now, but a recent study out of Israel gives clinical confirmation. The study out of Israel on nearly 600,000 people, who had been given the Pfizer vaccine, was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  Those who were 2-dose vaccinated were 94% less likely to become ill, 87% less likely to be hospitalized, and 72% less likely to die than people under study who were not vaccinated. 

The importance of picking up the pace with vaccinations is necessary to lessen the chance of mutations becoming problematic. Recall that the virus can not mutate unless it proliferates. The United Kingdom variant (B.1.1.7) was discovered here in Hamilton county on February 22 and is presumed to be in every Ohio county. State authorities are projecting that It will be the dominant strain in Ohio by late March to early April. There are ten variants identified as US origin. Of these, the New York (B.1.526) and the California (B.1.427) are of the greatest concern. We will slow the variants by continuing to mask up, even after vaccination; WASH your hands, WATCH your distance, avoid large crowds, and WAIT for your safe and effective vaccine!