Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been announced as highly effective against highly transmissible Delta variant.Although the analysis was limited to a few participants and has not yet been peer-reviewed it suggests that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may act as a buffer against highly transmissible variants. These findings were submitted to bioRxiv as separate studies.B.1.617.2, the delta variant, was first identified in India in October 2020. The World Health Organization declared it a "variant in concern" in May 2021. Live Science previously reported that. This variant has now spread to at most 92 countries, resulting in COVID-19 restrictions in certain areas. Live Science reported that the U.K.'s delta variant accounts for over 90% of newly diagnosed cases. In the United States, it makes up more then 20% of all new cases.Related: Quick Guide: COVID-19 Vaccines: What are they and how do they workThe delta variant is believed to be 60% more transmissible that the alpha variant. This is the variant that was first identified in the U.K., and is the most prevalent in the United States. Live Science reported that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine proved 88% effective against symptoms caused by the delta variant. A study by Public Health England also found that AstraZeneca was only 60% effective against the variant.Experts believe Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine will provide similar protection to Pfizer's (they are both mRNA vaccines). However, little was known about Johnson & Johnson’s protection against the delta variant. According to The New York Times, some experts believed that Johnson & Johnson's vaccine would provide similar protection against the delta variant as AstraZeneca's vaccine. The major difference between the vaccines is that Johnson & Johnsons is administered in one dose while AstraZenecas requires two.Two separate analyses were used to generate the new data. Based on data from eight participants in the company’s phase 3, the first found that vaccine generated neutralizing antibodies immune systems cells that bind the virus and inactivate the virus before it could infect cells against the Delta variant.Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, performed a second analysis that analyzed data from 20 participants in an earlier clinical trial to test the vaccine. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 for at most eight months. It also generates "neutralizing antibody against a range SARS-CoV-2 variants that are of concern," including delta. Although protection may not last beyond eight months, this is the longest time period that researchers have examined.According to the statement, people had higher levels of neutralizing antibody after being vaccinated than those who were only vaccinated for 29 days. The vaccine also produced immune system cells called T cells, which lasted more than eight months."Current data from the eight months that have been studied so far shows that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination generates a strong neutralizing immune response that doesn't wane," Dr. Mathai Mammen (global head of Johnson & Johnson Janssen Research & Development) stated in the statement. "We also observe a strong and durable cell immune response that is persistent and robust."CNN reports that Moderna and Pfizer had previously announced that their vaccines protect for at least six months. Live Science reported that a small study has shown that mRNA vaccines may provide protection for many years, even if the virus does not evolve.Original publication on Live Science
