J&J touts booster as Pentagon and others rush to set vaccine requirements

Johnson & Johnson announced their booster vaccine’s effectiveness increasing antibodies by nine times. The announcement comes as institutions and businesses across the country rush to establish vaccine requirements following the Food and Drug Administration’s full approval to the Pfizer vaccine.

According to the company, new data showed people who received a booster six to eight months after their first shot saw antibodies increase nine-fold compared to 28 days after getting their first shot. Johnson & Johnson reported significant increases in antibody responses in people 18 to 55, as well as seniors who received a lower booster dose.

“We have established that a single shot of our COVID-19 vaccine generates strong and robust immune responses that are durable and persistent through eight months,” said Dr. Mathai Mammen, Global Head of R&D for the Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Johnson & Johnson. “With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine.”

Johnson & Johnson said it is working with the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Medicines Agency and other health authorities regarding vaccine boosters.

Not to be outdone, Pfizer announced Wednesday it has started applying for FDA approval for its booster shot. The news comes after U.S. health officials announced plans last week to give COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans.

These new booster developments comes as the Pentagon released a memo Wednesday ramping up its urgency in requiring military troops to get vaccinated. The video above shows Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby previewing the memo on Monday.

In the memo, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered service leaders to “impose ambitious timelines for implementation.”

More than 800,000 service members have yet to get their shots, according to Pentagon data. Because the Pfizer vaccine got full approval, the Defense Department will now add the vaccine to the list of required shots troops must get as part of their military service.

The Pentagon isn’t the only one to push vaccine requirements in the wake of Pfizer’s full approval.  Shortly after the FDA acted, Walt Disney World required all workers at its theme park in to be vaccinated. Goldman Sachs told employees Tuesday it will require anyone who enters the bank’s U.S. offices to be fully vaccinated starting Sept. 7. CVS said pharmacists, nurses and other workers who have contact with patients will have to get the vaccine. And Chevron Corp. said it will require some of its workers to get their COVID-19 shots.