All three of the FDA-approved or authorized coronavirus vaccines protect against developing serious COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization. But which offers the best protection?
New CDC researchtries to answer that question.
A study of almost 3,700 patients finds the Moderna mRNA vaccine offers 5% better protection than Pfizer’s against hospitalization, and 22% better than Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose viral vector shot.
A separate analysis of antibodies in adults with no prior SARS-CoV-2 infection found Pfizer’s protection declined 14% four months after vaccination, compared to Moderna’s 1% drop.
The full reasons for the differences are for now unclear, but could stem from Moderna’s higher mRNA content or from the different timing between doses of the two mRNA vaccines (three weeks for Pfizer versus four weeks for Moderna).
The relatively small number of participants who had received Johnson & Johnson vaccines also might have affected the results.
