Johnson & Johnson says its COVID-19 vaccine is 85 percent effective at preventing severe disease

Johnson & Johnson
(Image credit: Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Johnson & Johnson has unveiled some highly-anticipated data on its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

The company on Friday announced its vaccine candidate in a global trial was found to overall be 66 percent effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, but 85 percent effective at preventing severe disease. In the United States, the company said the level of protection against moderate to severe illness was 72 percent, but in Latin America, it was 66 percent effective. It was also 57 percent effective in South Africa, where most of the COVID-19 cases were from the B.1.351 variant.

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Brendan Morrow

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.