MILWAUKEE- Medical College of Wisconsin President and CEO Dr. John Raymond says the varying in effective rates of the three available, or soon to be available, COVID-19 vaccines should not be a determining factor when getting a shot.
“I think there’s actually almost too much of a comparison of the numbers,” Dr. Raymond told WTMJ’s John Mercure during a roundtable discussion on the vaccine rollout. “These are three very, very effective vaccines… we’ve got three grand slams here with these vaccines.”
The first two vaccines on the market, developed by Pfizer and Moderna, are said to be 95% effective against the vaccine after the second shot. Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine, which is up for FDA approval this week, requires only one shot and is said to be 70-75% effective against the virus.
“If you look at what matters the most, which is severe disease or death, the three vaccines are pretty similar,” Raymond said. “Recent numbers from J&J suggested an 85% reduction in severe disease which is in the same order as the 90 to 95 from Moderna or Pfizer.”
As for overall vaccine numbers statewide, The Wisconsin Department of Health says more than 1.3-million vaccine doses have been administered, including nearly 50% of all residents 65 and older. The DHS plans to widen the scope of those eligible for the vaccine starting on Monday to include teachers and child-care providers. According to Dr. Raymond, the next phase will add roughly 700,000 more Wisconsinites to the vaccine eligibility roles.
More from the Roundtable:
MMAC’s Tim Sheehy on how COVID-19 vaccine will change workplaces