At the moment, Pfizer and Moderna are the only two coronavirus vaccines authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, another COVID vaccine is expected to reach the authorization stage soon by Johnson & Johnson. Unlike the others, this vaccine is just one dose – but, according to new research, it can work just as well as the others. New test data published on January 13 at New England Journal of Medicine released information about the safety, efficacy and possible side effects of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
During the trial, Johnson & Johnson researchers randomly assigned 805 participants to receive either a high or low dose of the vaccine – called Ad26.COV2.S – or a placebo. The researchers studied two age groups during this trial: healthy adults aged 18 to 55 and those aged 65 and over. According to the study, 90 percent or more of all participants had neutralizing antibodies 29 days after vaccination, and 100 percent had antibodies 57 days after vaccination.
And while the excitement about the potential to have a COVID vaccination in just one injection is justified, just like any other vaccination, you should expect some potential side effects. According to the study, there are five common side effects that can come from Johnson & Johnson’s new COVID vaccine – which, interestingly, were more common among those 18 to 55 years old than those 65 and older. Read on to find out what they are, and for more information on vaccines, know that if you take these OTC drugs, you have to stop before getting the vaccine.
Read the original article at Better life.
In trial participants aged 18 to 55, fever was reported as a side effect for 20 percent of those who received a low dose and 48 percent of those who received a high dose. Among those aged 65 and over, only 4% of those who received low doses and 10% of those who received high doses reported having a fever. “All cases of fever occurred within 2 days after immunization and resolved within 1 or 2 days,” noted the researchers in their study. And for the symptoms you may experience with the virus itself, discover the first signs that you have COVID, according to Johns Hopkins.
Among Johnson & Johnson trial participants who received a low dose of the vaccine, almost 45% of people aged 18 to 55 and almost 30% of people aged 65 and over reported fatigue as a side effect. For those aged 18 to 55 who received the highest dose, around 70 percent experienced fatigue. And for those 65 and older with a high dose, 40% had this reaction. And to learn more about fatigue, know that if you feel tired after that, you may have had COVID.
For Johnson & Johnson study participants between 18 and 55 years old, about 45 percent in the low dose group reported having headache and 70 percent in the high dose group experienced the same. The headache was less common in people aged 65 and over. For those in this age group who received a low dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only about 25% had this side effect, and it was reported by almost 35% of those who received a high dose. And for the most up-to-date information, subscribe to our daily newsletter.
Muscle pain, also known as myalgia, has been reported by 40% of people aged 18 to 55, who received only a low dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. For those 65 and older who received a low dose, 20% reported myalgia. As for those who received the highest dose, about 60 percent of people aged 18 to 55 reported this side effect and 25 percent of people aged 65 and older also experienced it. And for more concerns about the coronavirus, find out why this COVID protection measure “is not working”, warns the doctor.
Of the three local adverse events studied – skin rashes, pain and swelling – only pain appeared to be a common reaction among participants in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial. For those between 18 and 55 years old, almost 65% of those who received a low dose reported pain at the injection site and about 75% of those who received a high dose as well. And among those 65 and older, 40 percent of those who received the low dose and the high dose experienced pain at the injection site. And to learn more about the pandemic, take a look at The 3 things that could prevent almost all COVID cases, a study found.