Which vaccine is most effective? Moderna's is the most protective, according to the CDC

How much do vaccines protect against covid-19?

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(CNN) -

A study led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Moderna's covid-19 vaccine is more effective against hospitalization, but those from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson also protect well.

A head-to-head study of the three licensed coronavirus vaccines in the United States found that Moderna's vaccine is slightly more effective than Pfizer's in real life at keeping people out of the hospital if they catch coronavirus.

Moderna's vaccine was 93% effective against hospitalization, while Pfizer's vaccine provided 88% protection and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine ranks third, but still provides 71% protection.

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The CDC conducted a nationwide vaccination study involving more than 3,600 adults hospitalized for Covid-19 between March and August.

“Among American adults without immunocompromised conditions, the effectiveness of the vaccine against hospitalization for covid-19 between March 11 and August 15, 2021 was higher for the Moderna vaccine (93%) than for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (88%) and the Janssen vaccine (71%), ”the team wrote in the CDC's weekly report on death and illness, the MMWR.

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"Although these real-world data suggest some variation in vaccine protection levels, all FDA-approved or licensed COVID-19 vaccines provide substantial protection against COVID-19 hospitalization."

The researchers found that the largest difference in effectiveness between the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine was due to a decrease that began about four months after people were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.

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“The differences in the effectiveness of the vaccine between the Moderna vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech could be due to a higher content of mRNA in the Moderna vaccine, differences in the time between doses (3 weeks for Pfizer-BioNTech vs. 4 weeks for Moderna) , or possible differences between the groups that received each vaccine that were not accounted for in the analysis, ”the team wrote.

"A single dose of the Janssen viral vector vaccine had a comparatively lower anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody response and a vaccine effectiveness against covid-19 hospitalizations," they added.

“Understanding the differences in vaccine effectiveness by vaccine product can guide individual choices and policy recommendations regarding vaccine boosters.

All FDA-approved or licensed COVID-19 vaccines provide substantial protection against COVID-19 hospitalization. "

The CDC worked with researchers across the country to study 3,689 patients at 21 hospitals in 18 states for the study.

They also looked at the antibodies in the blood of 100 healthy volunteers after they had been vaccinated with one of the three available vaccines.

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