Topline
Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday that a booster dose of its single-dose Covid-19 vaccine, given two months after the original, provides greater protection against the disease. This data was released by the company in a press release. The company hopes to use this information as the United States prepares for the country's booster campaign.
J&J claims that a booster dose provides more protection against Covid-19. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Key Facts
According to data from a clinical trial in late-stage, the J&J vaccine gave U.S. participants 94% protection against symptoms of Covid-19 two months after their first dose. The company announced Tuesday. Study participants also received 100% protection against severe and critical Covid-19. This was one of the main reasons for vaccines. Globally, the protection against symptoms fell to 75%. However, the company didn't offer any explanation. Two-monthly, antibody levels, which are an indicator of immunity, rose to four to sixfold higher levels than those seen after one shot. Six months after the initial shot, the antibody levels rose ninefold and after four weeks the levels reached 12 times. Although the company didn't provide any data, it said that it had already submitted the data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and plans to submit it to other regulators, such as the World Health Organization.
Important Quote
Johnson & Johnson will use the data to support its claim that it should be included in upcoming booster shots campaigns by U.S. regulators. The only Covid-19 vaccine that is available in the United States is this one-shot vaccine. However, the recommendations for booster shots are not applicable to Americans who have received it, unlike those who have received Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. Johnson & Johnsons chief scientist officer Paul Stoffels said that the company now has evidence that a booster shot increases protection against Covid-19. This will likely extend the protection's duration significantly.
Tangent
Based on 390,000 vaccine recipients and 1.5 million people unvaccinated, the company said that it has evidence of long-lasting protection. A single dose of vaccine was found to be 74% effective in preventing severe and critical Covid-19 infections in the U.S. study group, 89% effective against hospitalization, and 83% effective in preventing Covid-19-related deaths. This study was in line with earlier clinical trials of vaccines and does not indicate that the effectiveness of the vaccines has decreased in any study where the delta variant would have been dominant in the U.S.
What we don't know
It is difficult to draw any firm conclusions without knowing the details of how the study was conducted or data from it. Although the company's announcement did mention the delta variant, it did not provide any details. The reason for the differences in results between the U.S.A and global is not clear. This could be explained in many ways. Regulators have yet to make a decision on whether the J&J vaccine recipients will need a booster shot. It is not clear whether the vaccine is less effective against the Delta variant, which is one of the main driving forces behind booster movements. There are mixed results. Officials from the United States state that they are likely to be required, but it is difficult to predict when.
Important Background
The U.S. approved booster shot approval for immunocompromised patients who received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines in August. It also announced plans to distribute booster shots to the general population in September. Friday's FDA vaccine advisory committee voted to deny the plans, citing lack of evidence. However, they unanimously approved them for vulnerable groups. Moderna and J&J did not have the necessary data to consider Pfizer shots. International researchers, including the FDA, cautioned against booster shots. They wrote in Lancet medical journal that current evidence doesn't support the idea of boosting the population with booster shots when there is little vaccine supply.
Continue reading
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Against Pfizer's Covid BoostersExcept for People Over 65 (Forbes).
Where can you get a Covid-19 booster shot? (Forbes)
Researchers Warn That Booster Covid Shots Are Not Supported by Scientific Evidence (Forbes).
Fauci warns not to get a booster shot before approval, which could take a few weeks for some (Forbes).
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