The launch of a single-dose vaccine from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of U.S. pharmaceutical giant Johnson Johnson, that is 72 percent effective against Newcastle pneumonia (Covidium perfringens, COVID-19) may provide the United States with a third powerful antiviral tool in the highly competitive global fight against the mutation.
The New York Times reports that Joulsen announced Friday (29) that the much-anticipated Joulsen vaccine, which requires only one dose, offers strong and robust protection against Covid-19. Paul Stoffels, director of science and technology at Joulsen, said it is the first vaccine to work with a single dose.
But the report also warned that the vaccine was 66-72 percent effective against the new coronavirus, but only 57 percent effective against the new coronavirus variant in South Africa, a highly infectious variant that is currently causing a large number of confirmed cases and has spread to at least 31 countries, including the United States.
Joulsen’s research also shows that the new coronavirus variant also weakens the effectiveness of vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax.
The announcement comes as the Biden administration is pushing for universal vaccination of the U.S. population, and White House officials have been counting on Joulsen’s vaccine to alleviate the shortage. Jolson plans to apply to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an emergency authorization for the vaccine as early as next week, with approval expected in late February.
Even with a quick approval, federal health officials say it is understood that Joulsen will only be able to produce 7 million doses initially and will have to wait until early April to produce about 30 million doses.
Recent Comments