Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, even with a lower efficacy rating than those offered through other shots, will still make a "massive difference" when comes out because of its ease of storage and other factors, Rep. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician under former President Donald Trump, said Friday.
"Johnson & Johnson is a really unique vaccine, in the sense it doesn't have to be refrigerated to the extent that the others that we have now (from) Pfizer and Moderna," the Texas Republican said on Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria." "You can keep it in the refrigerator for months at a time. The availability of this vaccine is potentially going to be much higher than the availability of the other vaccines."
J&J said Friday that tests have shown its single-shot vaccine was 66% effective overall at preventing moderate to severe illness, and 85% effective against the most serious symptoms.
However, the vaccine showed it worked better in the United States, at 72% against moderate to severe COVID-19 but dipped to 57% efficacy in South Africa, against a strain that is now popping up in the United States.
"Even 57% will make a massive difference in combating this virus, so I don't think that is necessarily bad," said Jackson. "I think the one thing I like to point out that in that same study it had 85% ability to stop severe disease."
Also, he pointed out that nobody involved in the 28-day research period had to be hospitalized after getting the shot.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden on Thursday signed executive orders on reopening the Affordable Care Act marketplace, as well as orders to resume sending federal funding to foreign aid groups that perform abortions, and Jackson said those moves were made to appease "the far left, the ones pulling his strings."
"They control what is going on in the White House," he said. "He is not in control of what is happening."
He also spoke out about Biden's plans to sign more executive orders on immigration.
"This is not a time to open up the southern border to everyone coming here," said Jackson, adding that migrants often travel in tight groups for months on end before they get to the United States.
"We should be concerned about the spread of coronavirus, with regards to this as well," he said. "This is not the time for this."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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