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A booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine decreased hospitalizations and serious illness among South African medical workers as the Omicron variant swept the nation according to a new study.
According to a research study published in MedRxiv 69,000 health workers received a booster dose J&J vaccine between November 15 and December 20.
According to the study the booster proved effective in preventing hospitalization due COVID with a rate of 85 percent.
“Our data show that a homologous boost given (to health care workers) 6 to 9 months after the initial… vaccine can help prevent hospitalizations,” the study concluded.
Linda-Gail Begkker, the study’s co-lead investigator, said to Reuters that the study “reassures us that COVID-19 vaccines remain effective for the purpose they were created for, which is to protect people from severe illness and death.”
The study is good news for Johnson & Johnson, which has come under scrutiny since the vaccine was first released.
A panel of experts that advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines announced earlier this month that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are the preferred vaccine for adults, as the J&J has the risk that it may cause blood clots.
Johnson & Johnson welcomed the findings of the new study.
“This is an addition to our growing body evidence that shows the efficacy of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination remains robust and stable over time, including against the circulating variants such as Omicron or Delta,” Mathai M.D., global head of Janssen Research & Development said in a statement.
Health authorities around the world believed that the J&J vaccine would bring COVID under control in undeveloped nations. J&J vaccines require only one shot compared to the two shots of mRNA-based Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. It also doesn’t require extreme refrigeration for storage or transport unlike Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
Sources
medRxiv. “Vaccine effectiveness against hospital admissions in South African health care workers who received a homologous booster of Ad26.COV2 during an Omicron COVID19 wave Preliminary Results of the Sisonke 2 Study.”
Reuters. “J&J booster cuts Omicron hospitalisations-S.African Study”
Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson.
