Johnson & Johnson’s CEO said on Tuesday that people may need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 annually over the next few years – similar to seasonal flu vaccines.
“Unfortunately, as (the virus) spreads, it can also mutate,” said Alex Gorsky in an interview with CNBC.
“Each time he mutates, it’s almost like another click on the dial, so to speak, where we can see another variant, another mutation that can impact his ability to ward off antibodies or to have a different type of response not just to therapeutic, but also for a vaccine, ”he added.
Public health officials have already warned that the coronavirus is probably here to stay.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, said COVID-19 could become “endemic”, meaning it will be a constant part of communities.
“I doubt that we will eradicate this,” said Fauci at a virtual health conference last week. “I think we need to plan that this is something we may need to maintain control chronically.”
Gorsky’s comments, however, came after Johnson & Johnson last week asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its single-dose vaccine COVID-19 for emergency use.
The drugmaker says the injection is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe illnesses.
The J&J vaccine would add a third vital option – along with injections from Pfizer and Moderna – as the United States struggles to distribute vaccines against the virus.
However, the J&J version was less effective against a more aggressive strain of the virus found in South Africa, the report said.
This strain, as well as a variant identified in the United Kingdom, has been detected in the USA.