Johnson & Johnson Executive Says Vaccine Works Where It Counts: Preventing Deaths

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, pictured in December, is 66% effective at preventing moderate and severe disease. But Dr. Paul Stoffels of Johnson & Johnson says what matters more is preventing hospitalizations and deaths, which it did completely.

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Dr. Paul Stoffels, the chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson, told NPR on Friday that the topline results from the company’s coronavirus vaccine study fail to tell the full story about just how effective it actually is.

Johnson & Johnson said that 28 days after vaccination, its vaccine is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. But Stoffels says that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is very effective where it matters most: preventing hospitalizations and deaths.

“We showed that there was an 85% efficacy against severe disease and a complete protection against hospitalization and complete protection against death. And that’s across all the regions, including in South Africa,” he says.