--- title: Why You Should Get Whichever COVID-19 Vaccine You Can description: Don't turn down the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in favor of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech. canonical: https://time.com/5935259/which-vaccine-to-get/ author: Alex Fitzpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-02-02T16:27:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T09:09:39.473Z article:section: Health og:title: Why You Should Get Whichever COVID-19 Vaccine You Can og:description: The best shot is the one that's in your arm og:url: https://time.com/5935259/which-vaccine-to-get/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0328d70db919f0b/698a16d78fd2ee1bb33623f2/which-vaccine-to-get.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: which vaccine to get og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why You Should Get Whichever COVID-19 Vaccine You Can twitter:description: The best shot is the one that's in your arm twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0328d70db919f0b/698a16d78fd2ee1bb33623f2/which-vaccine-to-get.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why You Should Get Whichever COVID-19 Vaccine You Can > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=37c7c1b7-d274-406b-b6f6-5a976a1a4384&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Tracking the Vaccine: From Freezer to Front Line [Watch (HLS stream): Tracking the Vaccine: From Freezer to Front Line](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0dwzz5K2.m3u8) (4:28)  _Published 2021-01-20. TIME followed the vaccination process from a Walgreens freezer to a long-term care facility to see what the roll out can look like._  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Feb 2, 2021 4:27 PM UTC TIME followed the vaccination process from a Walgreens freezer to a long-term care facility to see what the roll out can look like.  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Feb 2, 2021 4:27 PM UTC There’s a cliche in photography: “The best camera is the one you have with you.” The saying is meant to encourage photographers to take their cameras around with them every day, because even if you have the latest, greatest model, you won’t get good pictures if your camera is just sitting on the shelf at home. I’d like to suggest a pandemic-themed variation: the best vaccine is the one that’s in your arm. When Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech revealed late last year that their mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines were both almost totally effective against severe symptoms, they set a remarkably high bar. So when Johnson & Johnson [announced](https://time.com/5934515/johnson-and-johnson-covid-19-vaccine-effectiveness/) Friday that its COVID-19 vaccine, which uses a more traditional design, is “only” 66% effective at preventing disease, many took that as disappointing news. Over the weekend, I saw a disturbing number of people on social media say they only want the Moderna or Pfizer shots, and would reject the J&J vaccine if it was the only option available to them. That would be a mistake. Yes, the J&J shot is less effective in preventing _all_ COVID-19 symptoms—but those include such benign ailments as a nagging cough. It’s still 85% effective in preventing _severe_ symptoms, meaning people who get the J&J shot and later contract the virus could suffer the equivalent of a bad cold, rather than maybe needing to go to the hospital, or worse. And yes, people who get the J&J vaccine and are later exposed to the virus have a _slightly_ higher chance of serious COVID-19 symptoms compared to those who get the Moderna or Pfizer shots. But the difference is almost negligible. Meanwhile, those with the J&J shot are much, much better protected than those without any vaccine at all. Furthermore, every person who gets any vaccine brings us all one step closer to herd immunity and the end of the pandemic. So if the J&J vaccine is the only one available to you, don’t hesitate to roll up your sleeve. (J&J’s shot hasn’t been cleared for use in the U.S. yet, but that authorization is expected in the coming weeks—the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking for 50-60% efficacy for authorization, a bar the J&J vaccine clears easily, my colleague Alice Park [reports](https://time.com/5934515/johnson-and-johnson-covid-19-vaccine-effectiveness/).) Still, decision-makers need to be smart about how the J&J vaccine is distributed. Because it requires only a single dose and is easier to store and transport than the other vaccines, it will be a more logistically practical option for underserved communities with less pre-existing access to high-end healthcare technology, which in the U.S. are often Black and brown neighborhoods. But disadvantaged communities, already justifiably suspicious of the health care system, may become more so if they have access to the J&J vaccines but not the other, slightly more effective shots. It’s yet another reminder that having a more just and equitable health care system would have made the COVID-19 pandemic easier to handle all the way around. In a perfect world, we might set up a system where people with the lowest risk for developing severe COVID-19—like me, a young-ish, healthy white person who can work from home and has access to good healthcare—would get the J&J vaccine, while the slightly more powerful Moderna and Pfizer shots would be reserved for those at highest risk, like the elderly, front-line workers, and Black and brown people. Unfortunately, at least here in the U.S. where our vaccine rollout has been plagued by enough logistical troubles as it is, this isn’t a practical option. But state leaders making distribution choices need to be mindful of this potential pitfall—especially as early data show a distressing vaccination gap is [already developing](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/nyregion/nyc-covid-vaccine-race.html). ## Transcript But I am very excited that you finally come up with a vaccine. I feel the weight of it that this is going to do some good for us. And you know that I'm ready for it to start happening. You know, waiting to be in line to get my shot to. Just all the way to the Yankees or. Don't sign for Colbert. So they don't say. I actually. The biggest challenge has been temperature requirements, because that has to be kept at ultracold temperature of negative seven degrees Celsius. Or if we are transporting in a refrigeration, we have a lot more monitoring for that because it's only good for so many hours if the temperature excursion happens. And then there is a lot of responsibility in terms of liability. This vaccine has been very popular, so we have security protocols. We are putting SEALs when they're transporting. We have cameras installed specifically for this over and. Yeah. And be sorry. All right. Keep your arm relaxed. Oh, just the needle all done. You're not even bleeding. So my grandmother actually just passed away, I mean, less than two months ago from it. So to be out here protecting other people's grandparents is really touching me personally. Like, I really appreciate the opportunity and just so happy to be a part of it. The staff members here, we have about 240 that we're doing. We can get through usually with this many immunizations, 40 or 50 an hour at this facility specifically, we have over 100 residents that are all room to room based. So that takes a little more time. And then have you ever had a reaction after receiving a vaccine in the past? I can see how grateful they are. And I'm just grateful and honored to be able to give them the vaccine for me to be able to do it directly. You know, the last patient I just did, she's like, I'm waiting for the vaccine. And I was like, I'm here with the vaccine. And she's like, You're here with the vaccine. So I'm part of the bigger movement of vaccinating basically America. And that's it. Well, that's the easiest one I ever had. I'm glad with hay fever, I was you know, they can't come and visit me and I can't go visit them. But it's. Oh, gosh, it makes me mad anyway. It really is hard. And it's been harder for a lot of other people who have lost folks. And so I haven't had that problem, but it's awful. So I will mask myself any time to prevent that from happening. When I was a kid, everybody knew people who had somebody in their family that had polio. Any vaccine that prevents unnecessary pain and suffering is a good thing to have. All right. I'm just going to sanitize your arm real quick. I am happy that my son sometimes he talks to me on Facebook on face time. This time. And my daughter calls me every night. I know I can touch them and see them, but I just think the time will come. I hope. I hope I'm still alive. 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