Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Shows Promise

The pharmaceutical maker plans to apply for emergency use authorization of its single shot vaccine in early February. NBC's Sarah Dallof reports.

(NBC News) — A new weapon in the fight against COVID-19 may be coming soon.

Johnson & Johnson says late stage trial data shows its vaccine candidate is 72-percent effective in U.S. trials.

“It either stops you from getting COVID, or, it helps you if you get COVID have a much milder version of COVID,” says Johnson & Johnson Global Head of Pharmaceutical Research and Development Dr. Mathai Mammen.

The company is planning to apply for emergency use authorization in early February.

Unlike the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines currently in use, it requires only one shot.

The White House COVID Response Team says on average, more than a million shots have gone into arms each day over the last week, but even with mass vaccination sites scaling up
it will likely still be months before every american who wants a shot can get one.

Meanhile, health experts are concerned about virus variants.

The first cases of the South African strain were confirmed in the U.S. on Thursday.

The two South Carolina patients carrying that strain haven’t traveled and have not been in contact with each other.

“The presumption is at this point there’s been community spread of this strain,” says Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

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