Almost 17 million Americans have received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, which is equivalent to the population of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia combined.
The single J&J Janssen shot was initially thought of as a one-and-done regimen that didn't require ultra-cold storage.
There were questions about its efficacy compared to the two-shot vaccine series and about the risk of blood clot. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the preferred options over J&J in most situations according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There seems to be no guidance for recipients of the least used vaccine. If you have already gotten the J&J shot, what is the latest on the protection it provides and whether you need more shots?
Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes is the chief of the division of infectious diseases at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Dr. Roy Gulick is the chief of the division of infectious diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill.
Is it still possible to be fully vaccineed with one J&J shot?
A person who has received a single dose of the vaccine is considered to be fully vaccine-free according to the CDC.
I think that is in need of an update. A single shot of the J&J vaccine is not enough to provide full protection.
Staying up to date with your vaccines means additional shots, as the CDC is moving towards this terminology.
If you have had the J&J vaccine, what does it mean to be boosted?
It means getting a booster dose at least two months after the initial shot. The CDC said that Moderna and Pfizer are the best brands for booster doses.
There is some data to suggest that if you switch to the Moderna vaccine, you will get higher levels of antibody.
Data published ahead of peer review in December shows that a second J&J shot showed high levels of protection against the omicron variant.
The initial single dose of the vaccine, plus a booster, is called double vaxxed for J&J recipients.
Are people who received the J&J shot and a booster equally protected as people who received a vaccine and a booster?
We don't know the answer to that. These groups have not been compared.
Scientists don't have enough follow-up yet.
He predicted that if you had a J&J vaccine at some point during the spring or summer of 2021, and then you got boosted in the fall with an mRNA vaccine, you would have very high antibody levels that would be the equivalent of someone.
Dr. Fauci said that optimal protection is with a third shot of an mRNA or a second shot of a J&J.
Is there a need for J&J recipients to get two shots of the vaccine?
Not in the context of getting the two-shot series in 21 or 28 days. That is not currently recommended, but there is active research going on right now to see if people need a second booster.
What do we know about J&J?
Johnson & Johnson announced Thursday that a single shot of the vaccine provided protection against COVID-19 breakthrough infections for up to six months.
The vaccine gave 70% protection against moderate to severe forms of the disease, with a second shot giving the effectiveness to 94%.
T cells, another layer of protection, are also stimulated by vaccines.
The J&J vaccine causes high levels of T cells. These are cells that are instructed to kill other cells.
J&J's level of protection appeared to remain stable at six months compared to the decline observed for the mRNA vaccines, as the T cells are still persisting, which may be due to the fact that they started off with a higher level of protection.
The protection of all the vaccines is studied.
Is it okay to get the second shot if you had the J&J vaccine?
Both experts said it was unclear. The vaccine has been linked to the risk of blood clot. Nine people have died and 54 have been hospitalized from these blood clot.
Even if there were no problems with the initial shot, the risk may linger.
I'm not sure if you could guarantee that wouldn't happen again, because that didn't happen first time around.
If you wanted to get a boost of J&J and you did well with the first shot, it is probably fine. If I were a young woman getting boosted with J&J, I would have some hesitation.
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