J&J Touts Vaccine Booster Data

Johnson & Johnson says new data show increased protection against Covid-19 when a booster shot of its vaccine is administered, adding that the vaccine’s safety profile remained consistent after the booster shot. The company says a real-world evidence study for its vaccine demonstrated 79% effectiveness for Covid-19-related infections and 81% for Covid-related hospitalizations. Data also showed that a booster given 56 days after the first dose provided 100% protection against severe/critical Covid-19, and 94% protection against symptomatic (moderate to severe/critical) Covid-19 in the U.S. “When a booster of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine was given two months after the first shot, antibody levels rose to four to six times higher than observed after the single shot,” it says, adding that when a booster was given six months after the first dose, antibody levels were 12-fold higher four weeks after the booster. The data are being submitted to FDA for review.