HOUSTON — Texas is opening its coronavirus vaccinations to all adults starting March 29.
About the three vaccines approved in the U.S.:
- Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine: This vaccine is authorized for emergency use in persons aged 16 years and older. This vaccines requires two doses given 21 days apart. Clinical trial data shows that the vaccine is 95 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 infection starting seven days after the second dose. Individuals will not be considered fully protected until one to two weeks after they receive the second dose. Find more information on the CDC's website.
- Moderna COVID-19 vaccine: This vaccine is authorized for emergency use in persons aged 18 years and older. This vaccine requires two doses given 28 days apart. Clinical trial data shows the vaccine is about 94 percent effective after the second dose. Find more information on the CDC's website.
- Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine: The vaccine was FDA-approved for emergency use authorization on Feb. 28. In clinical trials, the vaccine worked especially well in protecting recipients from severe disease and hospitalizations, but its efficacy rate of 72% in U.S. trials is less than its competitors. Pfizer and Moderna were shown to be 94% to 95% effective against COVID-19.