Johnson & Johnson Is the Inferior Vaccine: DEBUNKED

photo courtesy of unsplash / national cancer institute

It’s vaccination season, and while any progress towards normalcy is good, a hierarchy has been forming around the three available vaccines. Those who received Pfizer or Moderna stickers on their COVID-19 vaccine cards instead of Johnson & Johnson feel a sense of comfort and superiority. THANK GOD we got Pfizer. Anything but J&J, right?

Wrong. Turns out J&J may not be as bad as we think it is. The efficacy rate of J&J is lower than the other vaccines’ (which is why some think it's inferior), but there are a few very important factors that you should know before filling out your rankings. Let’s outline them for you.

Context

In comparison to Pfizer and Moderna’s efficacy rates around 95%, J&J’s 66% sounds weak — dare I say the “Walmart version.” Let’s take a step back though. Every year, millions of Americans get the flu vaccine with complete confidence in its protection. Its efficacy? Between 40%-60%, depending on the year. In this context, 66% sounds outstanding. Actually most of the time, it IS a very high percentage. It’s just that Pfizer and Moderna decided to set the bar on another planet with its impossibly high rates.

Timing of Testing

The timing of each COVID-19 vaccine’s trial test also played a big role in how these efficacy numbers shaped out. Both Pfizer and Moderna ran their trial tests from August through November, a time when the cases were relatively low. Meanwhile, J&J chose to run its trial during the winter months when the virus was raging. Not to mention the variants had been introduced at this time as well. Logically, the J&J trial would exhibit more positive cases at a time when COVID-19 was spiking, contributing to a lower efficacy rate.

Location of Testing

Where did each company test its vaccine? For Pfizer and Moderna, testing was primarily based in the U.S. However, J&J did most of it in South Africa and Brazil, two countries with exceptionally high rates of COVID-19. In fact, the efficacy rate of J&J in just the U.S. was 72%, several percentage points higher than its global and more documented average. Location, location, location.

If you’re getting ready to receive your vaccination — and J&J gets through this whole blood clot situation — don’t rank these three options. There is no “better” vaccine, just get the damn shot in your arm, so we can tailgate and watch ‘Cuse football at the Dome this fall.