Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Best For Younger People: Here's Why

Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, which recently got the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, may be the best vaccine choice for younger people.

The FDA on Saturday recommended J&J’s adenovirus shot for emergency use authorization. The vaccine was shown to be 66% effective in preventing coronavirus infections and has an 85% efficacy rate at preventing severe cases of COVID-19.

At face value, J&J’s vaccine may not be as good as Modern’s and Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine, which both had more than 94% efficacy rates during their trials. However, the J&J vaccine may be the best option for younger, healthier people. One major reason is convenience, with the vaccine's single dosage.

With the working class primarily made up of the younger population, it will be easier for them to get inoculated without taking much time off work -- all they need is one doctor's appointment and one shot. Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines require two doses to be administered, 21 days apart. This also eliminates any chance of accidentally skipping their second shot.

The vaccine also works particularly well in younger people.

Results of its clinical trial showed that the vaccine worked well in protecting people under the age of 60 from severe cases of COVID-19. Among 8,200 participants who received the vaccine, only 58 suffered from moderate to severe COVID-19 infections after getting their shot, Business Insider noted.

The trial data also suggests that its coronavirus vaccine has a 74% efficacy rate in stopping asymptomatic people from spreading the virus.

It provides quicker protection against the coronavirus than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. With the adenovirus shot, receivers would develop protection against moderate to severe COVID-19 within two weeks of inoculation.

However, much like the other vaccines, J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine may also cause side effects. Common ones seen during the clinical trial included pain in the injection site, which was reported by 48.6% of participants; headache, 38.9%; fatigue, 38.2%; and muscle pain or myalgia, 33.2%.

Johnson & Johnson is expected to ship approximately 20 million doses to the U.S. by the end of March.