SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis continued to mention a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Johnson & Johnson while speaking in Seminole County on Monday.
Gov. DeSantis said the vaccine is expected to be key in vaccinating Florida’s workforce.
According to a press release on the company’s website, Johnson & Johnson is nearing the end of its phase three trial and expects to release data at the end of January.
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This information should include side effects and efficacy.
Johnson & Johnson published that its COVID-19 vaccine only requires one dose, unlike both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine which require two.
The company also has said that their vaccine does not require extreme cold storage, adding it could be refrigerated up to 46 degrees.
“A one-dose vaccine produced to scale, that is where I think you can get in easier to folks who are in the workforce,” DeSantis said.
According to a press release, Johnson & Johnson received money from the federal government, bringing their total combined investment to one billion dollars.
An application for an Emergency Use Authorization with the Food and Drug Administration is expected to be submitted in February, according to the company.
“When that’s approved, you are looking at some time in February to have a one-dose vaccine. We will see what the efficacy is. I’m hearing it’s pretty good,” said DeSantis.
Johnson & Johnson’s trial is described to include 45,000 people from three continents. No one under the age of 18 is included in the trial.
The company said that it has previously used the same vaccine technology to develop an approved Ebola vaccine overseas.