On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson said, “The second shot of their Covid-19 vaccine when given after two months from the first dose boosts protection by 94%. The company claims that their second dose increases the effectiveness of the vaccine against moderate to severe illness.
J&J Says The Second Dose Improves Protection Against Covid-19
Johnson & Johnson’s first vaccine dose gives 70% protection against the virus.
The company earlier said that their first shot is effective enough to ease the global pandemic. But the claims made through the second dose stress their indication towards a booster dose.
The reports by J&J will work in favor of their boosters.
The President is favoring the administration of the booster doses for all Americans. Given the increase in hospitalizations caused by the Delta variant, it is evident that the Joe Biden administration is pushing hard for approvals for the boosters.
Johnson & Johnson is the only company providing the Covid-19 vaccine with single doses. The company was under pressure to prove that their booster dose enhances efficacy.
The company on Tuesday successfully produced the pieces of evidence in favor of the effectiveness of their second dose. The company stresses that the additional shots- when given after two months from the first dose, increase the effectiveness four to six times. And when given after six months, increase the antibody count by twelve times.
The data produced by J&J shows that the improvement is better when the second dose is given after a larger interval.
The side effects of the second dose are similar to that of the first dose. The results are yet to be reviewed, but they will be up for submission in a few months.
The FDA committee recommended booster doses by Pfizer for citizens aged 65 and above. And also to those having a high risk of severe illness. The citizens with higher risks of severe illness are also eligible for the booster shot.
The White House promised its citizens the booster doses for the general public as early as September 20. President Joe Biden will more likely miss that deadline. The FDA now also has the data from J&J waiting for the booster shot approval. The company will be submitting the data to other organizations as well.
J&J held a trial on over 30,000 participants to test the effectiveness of the booster shot. In the trial, people aged 18 and above received the booster dose after 56 days from the first dose.
Studies found that the vaccine doses by J&J were 94% effective against moderate to severe illness.
Several studies also indicate that the J&J vaccine is 79% effective against Covid-19 infection. And also 85% effective against hospitalization by Covid-19.
According to the poll conducted by Yahoo news, Americans say that they would take the booster shots if made available to them. The people in agreement to take the booster shots include citizens of all ages.
Experts say that shifting focus onto booster doses will serve as a distraction from vaccinating people with initial vaccine doses. Currently, only 54% of the United States population is completely vaccinated.
Vaccination is the best protection against the contagious Delta variant and Covid-19.
