Administering a booster shot of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine was found to be 85% effective in preventing serious illness in Omicron-dominated areas, preliminary results from a South African trial study show.
The South African Medical Research Council performed the study on health workers from 15 November to 20 December, but has not yet been peer-reviewed. It found the booster was effective in largely protecting staff as Omicron came to dominate the country.
“The increase in CD8+ T-cells generated by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may be key to explaining the high levels of effectiveness against severe COVID disease and hospitalisation in the Sisonke 2 study, as the Omicron variant has been shown to escape neutralising antibodies,” Johnson & Johnson reported in a statement. That data showed that the booster jab “provides 85 percent effectiveness against hospitalisation in areas where Omicron is dominant/”
“This adds to our growing body of evidence which shows that the effectiveness of the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine remains strong and stable over time, including against circulating variants such as Omicron and Delta,” it continued.
Around half a million South African health staff have received Johnson jabs as part of clinical trials. South Africa has recorded more than 3.5 million cases and 94 000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
An earlier South African study in December found the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be less effective overall against Omicron, but still reduced hospital admissions by up to 70%.
Source: MedicalXpress
