The CEO of the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Alex Gorsky, said Tuesday that people may have to get vaccinated against COVID-19 annually for the next few years. In an interview with the television channel CNBC, Gorsky explained that “unfortunately, as (the virus) spreads, it can also mutate”, and that each time it mutates, “one more variant can be seen. One more mutation that can impact the ability (of the virus) to defend itself against antibodies or have some kind of different response, not only to a treatment but also to a vaccine,” Gorsky said.
The statements of the CEO of J&J come after representatives of health departments and experts in infectious diseases have warned of the possibility that the coronavirus becomes an endemic virus since the mutations mean that they will have to be in constant search of new variants and scientists constantly producing effective vaccines. Last week, J&J requested in the US an emergency authorization of the vaccine it has developed against covid-19, which, unlike the other two that are already used in the country, Moderna and Pfizer, is a single dose.
If approved, something that is believed could happen this month, the J&J vaccine would be a major boost in US vaccination efforts, and although its effectiveness is not as high as those developed by Moderna or Pfizer, experts have noted that it is still good, and the fact that it is a single dose is an important advantage. Also, this vaccine is easier to store, since it remains stable for two years at -20 degrees Celsius, and for at least three months in most standard refrigerators, at temperatures between 2.2 and 7.7 degrees Celsius. In contrast, Pfizer’s vaccine should be stored in freezers that keep it between -80 and -60 degrees Celsius and Moderna’s should be between -25 and -15 degrees Celsius. Last August, the US Department of Health announced that it had reached an agreement with J&J worth 1 billion dollars for the purchase of 100 million doses of its vaccine, with an option to purchase 200 million dollars. more dose.
