1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: brain Stuff. Lauren Vogelbaum here. On Friday February, the US 3 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: Food and Drug Administration that is, the FDA released the 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: results of its trial of the Johnson and Johnson coronavirus vaccine. 5 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: The FDA found the vaccine to be safe and effective 6 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: and granted this one dose COVID nineteen vaccine emergency use 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: authorization at its advisory panel meeting on Saturday, February. The 8 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: company began shipping three point nine million doses of the 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: vaccine across the United States on Monday, March one. So 10 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: how does the Johnson and Johnson vaccine work. This vaccine 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 1: is what's called a viral vector vaccine. To create this vaccine, 12 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: the Johnson and Johnson team took a harmless add no 13 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: novirus and replaced a small piece of its genetic code 14 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: with coronavirus genes that are instructions to create the particular 15 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: spike protein that appears on the surface of the viruses 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: that caused COVID nineteen. The harmless adnovirus is the titular 17 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 1: viral vector in this viral vector vaccine. After this modified 18 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: adnovirus is injected into someone's arm, it enters the person's cells. 19 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: The cells then read the genetic instructions needed to make 20 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: the spike protein, and those cells then make and present 21 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: the spike protein on their own surface. The person's immune 22 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: system then notices these foreign proteins and makes antibodies against 23 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: them that will protect the person if they're ever exposed 24 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: to the real harmful virus in the future. The adnovirus 25 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: vector vaccine is safe because the anovirus can't replicate in 26 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: human cells or cause disease, and the spike protein itself 27 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: can't cause COVID nineteen without the rest of the coronavirus. 28 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: This approach isn't new, but Johnsman Johnson used a similar 29 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: method to make It's a Bowl of vaccine, and the 30 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: Astrosenica Oxford COVID nineteen vaccine is also an adnovirus viral 31 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: vector vaccine. But how effective is it. The FDGAS analysis 32 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: found that in the United States, the Johnson and Johnson 33 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: COVID nineteen vaccine was seventy two percent effective at preventing 34 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: all COVID nineteen and eighty six percent effective at preventing 35 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: severe cases of the disease, While there is still a 36 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: chance that a vaccinated person could get sick, This suggests 37 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: that they would be much less likely to need hospitalization 38 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: or to die from COVID nineteen. A similar trial in 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: South Africa, where a new and more contagious variant is dominant, 40 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: produced similar results. A researchers found the Johnson and Johnson 41 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: vaccine to be slightly less effective at preventing all illness 42 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: there just sixty overall, but was still eighty two percent 43 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: effective at preventing severe disease. The vaccine report also indicates 44 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: that the vaccine protects against other variants from Britain and 45 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: Brazil as well. This is a bit different from the 46 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: Maderna and Fiser vaccines, the most basic difference being that 47 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: the John's and Johnson vaccine is an adenovirus vector vaccine, 48 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: while the Maderna and Fiser vaccines are both mRNA vaccines. 49 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: M RNA or messenger RNA vaccines also use genetic instructions 50 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: from the coronavirus to tell a person cells to make 51 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: that spike protein, but these don't use another virus as 52 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: a vector. There are many practical differences as well. Both 53 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: of the mRNA based vaccines require two shots. The Johnson 54 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: and Johnson vaccine requires only a single dose, and this 55 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: is key when vaccines are in short supply or when 56 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: it may be difficult to get a recipient of the 57 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: first dose of a vaccine to return for a second 58 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: one after a waiting period. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine 59 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: can also be stored at much warmer temperatures than the 60 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: mr Anda vaccines. The m r Anda vaccines must be 61 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: shipped and stored below freezing or sub zero temperatures, which 62 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: requires a bunch of technical equipment and care. The Johnson 63 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: and Johnson vaccine can be stored for at least three 64 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: months in a regular refrige raider, making it much easier 65 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: to use and distribute. As for efficacy, it's difficult to 66 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: directly compare the Johnson and Johnson vaccine with the mr 67 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: and A vaccines due to differences in how the clinical 68 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: trials were designed. While the Maderna and Visor vaccines are 69 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: reported to be approximately effective at preventing illness from COVID nineteen, 70 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: the trials were done over the summer and fall of 71 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: before newer and more contagious variants were circulating widely. The 72 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: Maderna A Visor vaccines might not be as effective against 73 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 1: the new variants, and Johnson and Johnson trials were completed 74 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: more recently and taken to account the vaccines efficacy against 75 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: these new variants. So given all of this, should you 76 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: choose one vaccine over another. Although the overall efficacy of 77 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 1: the Maderna and Visor vaccines is reported to be higher 78 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: than the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, you should not wait 79 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: until you have your choice of vaccine, which is likely 80 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: a long way off. Anyway, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine 81 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: is nearly as good as the m RNA based vaccines 82 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: at preventing serious disease, and that's what really matters. The 83 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,359 Speaker 1: Johnson and Johnson vaccine and other viral vector vaccines like 84 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: the one from Astra Zeneca are particularly important for the 85 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: global vaccinization effort. From public health perspective, it's important to 86 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 1: have multiple COVID nineteen vaccines, and the Johnson and Johnson 87 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: vaccine is a very welcome addition to the vaccine arsenal. 88 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: It doesn't require a freezer, making it much easier to 89 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: ship in store. It's a one shot vaccine, making logistics 90 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: much easier compared with organizing two doses per person. As 91 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: many people as possible need to be vaccinated as quickly 92 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 1: as possible to limit the development of new coronavirus variants. 93 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: Having a third authorized vaccine in the United States is 94 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: a big step toward meeting vaccination demand and stopping this pandemic. 95 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Maureene iran virologist and Associate 96 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: Professor of biology at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and 97 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: it was produced by Tyler Klang. The article was based 98 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: on was republished on how stuff works dot com from 99 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: The Conversation dot com under a Creative Commons license. Brain 100 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts to 101 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,599 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 102 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.