Why doctors aren't focused on Johnson & Johnson's lower vaccine efficacy

The United States is on the brink of getting a third COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson and Johnson's candidate still needs the final stamp of approval from the Food and Drug Administration, but it just got the green light from the agency's independent panel Friday.

With the vaccine likely rolling out in the coming days, thousands of North and South Carolinians could soon be getting a COVID-19 vaccine with a lower efficacy than the other vaccines already on the market.

But how much does that matter?

FDA briefing documents show Pfizer and Moderna are both roughly 95% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19. For Johnson and Johnson, that rate is 66% when it comes to preventing moderate to severe/critical symptoms.

That rate was mostly dampened by the portion of the research conducted in South Africa, where a coronavirus variant was already prevalent. With that variant's presence in the U.S. still less established, U.S. efficacy was 72%.