A second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine substantially boosts the protection it provides against COVID-19, according to new data released by the drugmaker.
The New York Times explains:
In a clinical trial, researchers found that two doses of the vaccine delivered 94 percent efficacy against mild to severe Covid-19 in the United States, up from 74 percent conferred with a single shot, the company reported. And two shots showed 100 percent efficacy against severe disease, although that estimate had a wide range of uncertainty.
Nearly fifteen million American have received the Johnson & Johnson jab, which is the only vaccine approved by U.S. regulators that requires just one dose.
But the data released Tuesday bolsters the argument for a potential Johnson & Johnson booster shot.
“We now have generated evidence that a booster shot further increases protection against COVID-19 and is expected to extend the duration of protection significantly,” J&J chief scientific officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said in a statement.
The pharmaceutical giant conducted two separate studies to determine the ideal timing of a booster. When administered two months after the initial dose, the booster resulted in a four-fold increase in antibodies. But when given six months or longer after the initial dose, there was a twelve-fold increase in antibodies.
CNN reports:
So protection should be stronger if people get boosters later, Dr. Dan Barouch, head of Beth Israel Deaconess’ Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, told CNN.
“If you wait longer and have boost at six months or later then you likely will have better boost,” said Barouch.
A separate study from Johnson & Johnson indicates that the one-shot regiment is still a powerful tool against coronavirus.
From CNBC:
The company also released data from a real-world study that found a single dose of its vaccine provided strong and long-lasting protection against Covid-related hospitalizations, demonstrating 81% effectiveness after several months.
The new data on a single dose will help the “critical” need “to prioritize protecting as many people as possible against hospitalization and death given the continued spread of COVID-19 and rapidly emerging variants,” the company said.
“A single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that is easy to use, distribute and administer that provides strong and long-lasting protection is crucial to vaccinating the global population,” Stoffels said.