Vaccines Compare Johnson & Johnson vs Pfizer vs. Moderna

How effective ?

Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Efficacy

• Vaccine was shown to be 95 percent overall effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses in phase 3 clinical trials.
• Vaccine was shown to be 94.7 percent effective in people age 65 and older in its clinical trials after the second dose.

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Moderna Vaccine Efficacy

• Vaccine was shown to be 94.1 percent overall effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in its phase 3 clinical trials after the second dose.
• Vaccine was shown to be 86.4 percent effective in people age 65 and over after two doses.
  

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Efficacy

• Vaccine was shown to be 66.1 percent overall effective in preventing COVID-19 symptoms after one dose in its phase 3 multi-country clinical trials and 72 percent effective among participants in the U.S. trials.
• Vaccine was shown to be 68.6 percent effective in people age 65 and over after one dose.
• Significance: All three vaccines more than meet the 50 percent effectiveness threshold required by the FDA. In addition, the data from phase 3 clinical trials for all three vaccines show that all of them are 100 percent effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

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Who get vaccinated ?

Pfizer-BioNTech age requirements

•     People 16 years old and older

Moderna and Johnson & Johnson age requirements

•     People 18 years old and older
  

Significance: Those under 18 likely won't be eligible to get the vaccine until later in 2021 anyway since health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, essential workers, people 65 and older and those with certain health risks are slated to be the first groups vaccinated. Other vaccines may be available to younger age groups by then.

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Side effects of COVID-19 Vaccines

Pfizer-BioNTech Side effects

• The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, followed by tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever, according to the FDA.
• In the United Kingdom, two health care workers reported severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) after being vaccinated; two health care workers in Alaska reported a serious allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
• In the U.S. trial, four people who received the vaccine developed Bell's palsy, which causes usually temporary paralysis in facial muscles

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Moderna Side effects

• The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, followed by tiredness, headache, muscle pain, joint pain and chills, an FDA analysis found.
• Three trial participants who received the vaccine developed Bell's palsy.
  

Johnson & Johnson Side effects

• The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, followed by headache, fatigue and myalgia (muscle pain).
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 15 cases of serious blood clots among eight million people who received the vaccine as of mid-April. Almost all of the cases were in women aged 18 to 49.
• There was one case of hypersensitivity — although not classified as anaphylaxis — that began two days after the injection.
• There were four reported cases of Bell's palsy: two among those getting the vaccine and two who received the placebo.

How many shots  required ?

Pfizer-BioNTech

• Two shots of the vaccine, given 21 days apart, are required for it to be fully effective.
  

Moderna

• Two shots are required, 28 days apart.

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Johnson & Johnson

• One shot required.