Coronavirus Watch: 2 doses of J&J vaccine provide 94% protection, study says

Johnson & Johnson released new data Tuesday showing a booster dose of its vaccine given two months after the one-shot vaccine provides 94% protection against moderate-to-severe COVID-19 symptoms.

J&J, citing three studies of the vaccine, said the booster shot offers 100% protection against severe or critical symptoms, the company said in a statement. A booster dose given six months after the single shot provides even more protection, the company said. The results are in line with data from studies of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

The one-dose J&J vaccine alone has been found to be 66% protective against moderate-to-severe disease worldwide, and 72% protective in the U.S. 

It's Tuesday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news you need to know.

• Ohio Reps. Tim Ryan and Bob Latta have tested positive for COVID-19. They are  vaccinated and quarantining at home.
• A counselor at Lee County Elementary School died Monday from COVID-19, the third employee at the Eastern Kentucky school to die from the virus since the academic year began last month. Rhonda Estes, 56, had worked for district for 35 years.
• The Tennessee state government now recommends nearly all vaccinated residents be denied access to monoclonal antibody treatment to preserve the limited supply for non-vaccinated patients. 

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 42.3 million COVID-19 cases and 677,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 229.3 million cases and more than 4.7 million deaths. About 64% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 55% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 76.5% have received at least one shot, and about 66% are fully vaccinated.

Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.

– Grace Hauck, USA TODAY breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck