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Don't Panic, the COVID-19 Shots Still Work

Steve Baragona

   On the surface, the news about Janssen Pharmaceuticals' coronavirus
   vaccine was disappointing.

   On January 29, the company, a division of health care giant Johnson &
   Johnson, announced its shot was 66% effective against moderate to
   severe COVID-19.

   It's a lackluster result compared with the 95% that Pfizer-BioNTech
   reported for its vaccine, or Moderna's 94%.

   Most disappointing were the data from South Africa, where a new variant
   of the deadly coronavirus has been running rampant. The vaccine was
   only 57% effective there.

   The South African variant has spread to dozens of countries, including
   the United States.

   But those headline efficacy figures obscure an important point: Against
   the most serious cases, the shot was very effective.

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