Single Dose Janssen Vaccine Shows Cases of Severe Disease Prevention Failure... Further Investigation Needed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A study has found that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of the U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J), often fails to prevent severe cases with just one dose, indicating the need for further investigation.

On the 13th (local time), the French daily Le Figaro reported, citing the 'Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Investigation' report released by the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), that among one million people vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine from April to August, 32 were infected with COVID-19, and 29 of them developed severe symptoms.

There were also four deaths due to breakthrough infections after receiving the Janssen vaccine. The deceased were aged between 73 and 87, and most had serious underlying health conditions.

Some university hospitals reported an abnormally high proportion of COVID-19 patients vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine being admitted to intensive care units.

In Marseille, 4 out of 7 COVID-19 patients receiving intensive care had been vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine, and in Tours, 3 out of 6 patients were vaccinated with Janssen.

Seventeen people were infected with the Delta variant, which is more transmissible than the original COVID-19 strain.

The Janssen vaccine is administered as a single dose, unlike other COVID-19 vaccines approved in Europe such as Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca-Oxford University.

French health authorities have recommended the Janssen vaccine only for those aged 55 and older due to side effects, and since last month, they have advised those vaccinated with Janssen to receive an additional dose of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.