The bottom line is that if you didn't get your second shot on time, you'll want to get it as soon as possible. If you didn't get your second shot because you developed COVID-19 at some point during the vaccination process, it's still recommended that you get your second dose.
The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine vaccination schedule is a single dose.
Before a vaccine is available to the public, it must go through several stages of testing. The first stage is a Phase 1 clinical trial. In Phase 1, the vaccine is given to healthy volunteers to test if it’s safe and induces an immune response against the virus.
In emergencies, the experts at the FDA can decide that the benefits of a drug justify a shorter process. If so, the FDA can issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Under an EUA, the FDA maintains its strict standards but makes decisions more quickly than usual.
The J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine also contains a piece of a modified virus that is not the virus that causes COVID-19. This modified virus is called the vector virus. The vector virus cannot reproduce itself, so it is harmless. This vector virus gives instructions to cells in the body to create an immune response.
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated a profile that showed durability of effectiveness up to 6 months for hospitalizations and ICU admissions across the study period, with a modest increase in breakthrough infections starting in month 4.
Arm pain is a common side effect of vaccinations and is caused by your immune system responding to the vaccine you received. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) after your vaccination can help reduce the pain you experience.
There are several stages to vaccine development, such as the exploratory, pre-clinical, clinical, review and approval, manufacturing and quality control stages. In the clinical development stage, there are three Phases where humans participate in the trials.
The virus spreads by respiratory droplets released when someone with the virus coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can be inhaled or land in the mouth or nose of a person nearby. Coming into contact with a person's spit through kissing or other sexual activities could expose you to the virus.
The FDA can issue EUA during a public health emergency—like a pandemic—to allow the use of unapproved medical products to diagnose, treat or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases. Prior to issuing EUA, safety and efficacy must be demonstrated and certain FDA criteria must be met; there also must be evidence that strongly suggests that patients have benefited from a treatment or test, and there are no adequate, approved or available alternatives.
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen.Moderna.Pfizer-BioNTech.AstraZeneca.Covaxin.Covishield.BIBP/Sinopharm.Sinovac.Novavax/CovovaxConvidecia
FDA authorized Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) in December 2021 for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing who are also at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19