Johnson & Johnson begins phase 3 trial of single-shot COVID-19 vaccine


Johnson & Johnson is commencing phase three testing for a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
The company announced on Wednesday the start of a phase three trial for its coronavirus vaccine candidate after "positive interim results" from previous clinical studies, and it said it will enroll up to 60,000 volunteers across three continents. This is the fourth COVID-19 vaccine candidate to enter phase three clinical trials in the United States but the first candidate hoping to provide protection with only one shot, The Washington Post reports.
"A single-shot vaccine, if it's safe and effective, will have substantial logistic advantages for global pandemic control," Dan Barouch, the director of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, told the Post. Judith Feinberg, West Virginia University vice chairwoman for research in medicine, also told The New York Times that a single-shot vaccine "would be fabulous" since "we've got to vaccinate a lot of people really quickly."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky celebrated this as a "pivotal milestone" that "demonstrates our focused efforts toward a COVID-19 vaccine that are built on collaboration and deep commitment to a robust scientific process." If the vaccine proves to be safe and effective, Johnson & Johnson is expecting that "the first batches" could be "available for emergency use authorization in early 2021," and it's "on track to meet its goal of providing one billion doses of a vaccine each year."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
July 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include woke fireworks, a new slogan for the Statue of Liberty, and birthright citizenship hanging by a thread.
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia