COVID-19: Johnson & Johnson's booster dose highly effective against Omicron, reveals study

Researchers reported on December 30 that a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson Inc's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine was almost 85% effective at preventing hospitalisation in South African healthcare workers who became infected as the Omicron variant spread. Preliminary findings from the Sisonke research, which have not been peer-reviewed, indicated that among those who had already had one vaccine dose, the booster increased protection against hospitalisation from 63% to 85%.

The non-peer-reviewed real-world study was based on a second dosage of the J&J vaccine provided to 69,092 healthcare workers. The trial took place in November and December but participants were enrolled before the current wave that is sweeping the country, allowing researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of the company's Covid-19 vaccine specifically as Omicron became the dominant variant in the country, according to a statement from Johnson & Johnson.

The authors of the study stated that it showed the first evidence of the efficiency of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, known as Ad26.COV.2, when administered six to nine months after the initial dosage. In US, the Johnson & Johnson booster was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that consumers obtain the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna boosters instead, citing worries about exceedingly uncommon blood clots.

2 doses of Pfizer vaccine provided 70% protection against hospitalisation from Omicron

Moreover, a separate South African research published earlier this month discovered that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine provided 70% protection against hospitalisation from the new strain of coronavirus. Another South African study published earlier this month found that a first round of inoculation with two doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 BioNTech's vaccine was less efficient in keeping persons infected with the virus out of the hospital after the Omicron version surfaced last month.

After being momentarily halted due to concerns about exceedingly rare incidents of blood clots, the experiment has started resuming in the field to assess the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In late November, scientists in South Africa notified the World Health Organization (WHO) that they had discovered Omicron. The highly modified form has quickly spread across the globe, causing a fresh wave of illnesses.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP