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Many of us didn’t expect COVID to last longer than a year, and certainly don’t want it to last another. Fortunately, the United States already has two COVID vaccines targeted to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Moderna and Pfizer began distributing their vaccines in December, and more are likely on the way, such as the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. While all of this sounds like good news, health officials are outspoken about how they expect the future of the pandemic to unfold, and that might not be exactly what you think it is. want to hear. In fact, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson just made a rather disturbing prediction on COVID. Read on for his thoughts on where we’re going from here, and for more predictions on the future, Dr Fauci just said we can never do that again.
Even though Johnson & Johnson created a single dose vaccine, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a vaccine and you’re done forever. In a Feb.9 interview with CNBC, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson Alex gorsky has indicated that the coronavirus behind COVID-19 may be something we are dealing with beyond this year.
“I think most people think it’s going to be something where, yes, the next few years we get a COVID-19 vaccine like we would a flu shot,” Gorsky said. “I don’t think we know today exactly what this plan will be about. But I think we could all imagine a future where we live with it, but where we can keep science at the pace of the virus.” And to learn more about the vaccine rollout, you’ll be able to get your shot at any Walgreens by that date.
According to Gorsky, “a lot of that will depend on what happens with this virus,” especially in terms of the development of new variants. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified three new, more transmissible variants that have made their way to the United States: a UK variant, a South African variant, and a variant from Brazil. .
“You know, unfortunately, like [COVID] spreads, it can also mutate. And every time it mutates, it’s almost like another click of the dial, so to speak, where you can see another variation, another mutation, which can impact its ability, for example, to repel antibodies or have a different type of response, not only to a therapy, but also to a vaccine, ”Gorsky explained. And to learn more about getting back to normal, this COVID restriction could last for years, experts say.
One strain in particular, the South African variant B.1.351, has already shown resistance to current COVID vaccines. According to The New York TimesSouth Africa has just ended the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in their country because researchers have determined that it does not prevent people from developing moderate infections. Other vaccines, such as Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, still appear to be effective against this strain, but less so than with previous variants – raising concerns about how future mutations might escape even further. these vaccines.
“It’s becoming more and more obvious that we’re going to get stuck in this fucked up reality, where we have variants that don’t respond to vaccines,” Andrea Taylor, PhD, Deputy Director of Duke Global Health Innovation Center, said The New York Times. “We will try to modify these vaccines to target new variants, but since the virus may still be able to spread in certain populations in certain regions of the world, other variants will emerge.” And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
In terms of vaccine development, Moderna and Pfizer have already started work on potential booster shots to deal with emerging variants. Johnson & Johnson recently submitted data for its single-dose vaccine to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization, which will be voted on on February 26. However, just as the future of the pandemic is uncertain, so too is the future of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. The manufacturer is currently testing a second dose of the vaccine.
Mathai Mammen, MD, Global Head of Research and Development at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, said in an interview on Jan.5 that the company was preparing to test participants at a two-dose level, administering two doses of the vaccine two months apart. “The reason we’re doing this second study is to see if a second dose could provide greater or longer protection,” Mammen said.
As Gorsky explained further, after testing their single-dose vaccine in variant hotspot locations like Brazil and South Africa, Johnson & Johnson realized that the emerging variants are something the manufacturer needs to do. “prepare over the next few years”, which might be called dose in use. And for essential vaccine advice, if it happens after your vaccine, the FDA says you should call 911.
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