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Hi and welcome to COVID Quickly, a new scientific American podcast series.

This is your fast track update on the COVID pandemic. We bring you up to speed on the science

behind the most urgent questions about the virus and the disease. We demystify the research

and we help you understand what it really means. I'm Tanya Lewis. And I'm Josh Fishman.

And we're scientific American senior health editors. Today, we're going to be talking about the

new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the race between declining cases and the rise of new virus variants,

and new ideas about why the virus may trigger diabetes.

Tanya, we have a new vaccine and it seems to work. Who made it and has the FDA authorized it yet?

That's right. The shot is made by Johnson & Johnson and it works. According to data submitted

to the FDA, it had 72% efficacy in the US clinical trial and 64% in the South Africa trial

where a worrisome new virus variant has been circulating. It also seems to protect against

severe disease with 86% efficacy in the US and 82% in South Africa. In addition, the vaccine

may also prevent transmission of the virus to unvaccinated people, although data are not yet

conclusive. Now, just wait a sec. You said shot when you started talking. Not shots?

That's right. Unlike some of the other vaccines out there, Johnson & Johnson's is just one shot

and it can be stored at room temperature for up to three months. The biggest hurdle right now is

...