Hit me with your worst shot

If I had the choice, I'd choose one of the "lesser" COVID-19 vaccines.

The Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in Canada, and it has a major advantage over its predecessors: it requires just one dose instead of two.

Unlike Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson shot is an adenovirus-based vaccine.

It was built using a kind of virus, which causes colds in chimpanzees.

The adenovirus is altered to carry a gene for the coronavirus protein, which can then train a person’s immune system to recognize the actual coronavirus if it ever enters the body.

It only requires one dose and has been approved for use in individuals aged 18 and older and is effective in older adults, Sharma said.

“Almost 20 per cent of the participants in the clinical trials were 65 years of age and older, and no differences in the safety or efficacy were seen compared to the younger groups,” she said.

The shot is significantly easier to ship and store, as it can be kept in a refrigerator (between 2 C and 8 C)for at least three months — much longer than t…