Today, a new report about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine came out. It said that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine retained its protection level better than the mRNA vaccines and that a second Johnson and Johnson shot offered tremendous protection.
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Over the last few weeks, millions of people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been in limbo as they wait for guidance about whether they’ll need booster shots — and to learn what protection, if any, an extra dose might offer. Today, they’re finally getting some clarity.
Johnson & Johnson said this morning that a second dose of its vaccine substantially boosted protection against Covid-19. In a clinical trial, researchers found that two doses of the vaccine offered 94 percent efficacy against mild to severe Covid in the U.S., up from 74 percent with a single shot. And two shots showed 100 percent efficacy against severe disease (although that estimate had a wide range of uncertainty).
J. & J. vaccine recipients should also take heart in new data that suggest that one dose of the shot continues to offer strong protection over time.
The doses from Pfizer and Moderna offer high levels of initial protection that seem to diminish slightly over several months. But a recent study showed that up to five months after vaccination, the J. & J. vaccine’s effectiveness against hospitalization remained steady at about 81 percent.
As for the two-dose regimen, a new clinical trial found that the second shot boosted antibody levels in volunteers four times as high as that of only one shot, which translated into stronger protection. Some preliminary studies suggest that higher levels of antibodies against the coronavirus produce higher levels of protection against Covid.
Johnson & Johnson said it had submitted the data to the F.D.A. for review. Last week, an advisory committee to the F.D.A. recommended booster shots for Pfizer recipients who are at least 65 years old or at risk of Covid.”
First, while the one Johnson and Johnson vaccine shot wasn’t as strong in protecting the vaccinated person compared to the mRNA vaccines, the protection didn’t diminish as much as or as quickly as the mRNA and it did provide 74% protection against the novel coronavirus. Moreover, a second shot raised that protection level to 94% (essentially equivalent to the protection offered by the mRNA vaccines) and 100% protection against severe disease and 81% protection against hospitalization was obtained from the first shot .
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