Late February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for the third COVID-19 vaccine which can be administered in just one dose, unlike its competitors which require two.

According to the FDA’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions, the effectiveness of the three currently available vaccines cannot be compared because, “The only way to accurately compare the effectiveness of medical products, such as vaccines or drugs, is by direct comparison in head-to-head clinical trials, which did not occur for these vaccines.”

Factors such as where in the world the vaccine was tested as well as when the testing phase of the vaccine took place are also factors which make it impossible to create an accurate comparison between the three vaccines.

This was supported by Dr. Fauci during the Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials on Monday March 1. 

This press briefing was an update by Rochell Walensky (MD, MPH and director of the CDC), Anthony Fauci (MD, president’s chief medical advisor and director of the NIAID), and Marcella Nunez-Smith (MD, chair of the Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force).

“Having multiple types of vaccine available, especially ones with different dosing regimens and different storing and handling, offers more flexibility.  For example, clinics and mass vaccination sites that do not have freezer capacity may be able to use the Janssen vaccine, increasing access to more communities.” Walensky explained which both Fauci and Nunez-Smith agreed with. 

On March 1, the FDA also issued an EUA for the QuickVue At-Home Covid-19 Test for prescription home use. This test would allow for rapid COVID tests to be done without needing to send the sample to a laboratory for testing.