New study: Johnson & Johnson says its booster shot leads to strong immune response

Johnson & Johnson released new data Tuesday that shows a booster shot of the company’s vaccine “further increases protection against COVID-19 and is expected to extend the duration of protection significantly.” According to the data, a booster shot taken 56 days after getting the first one was 94 percent effective against the virus in the United States. Globally, effectiveness drops to 75 percent. The booster was also shown to be 100 percent effective against severe or critical cases of COVID-19.

For a booster shot taken six months after the first dose, Johnson & Johnson found “antibody levels increased nine-fold one week after the booster and continued to climb to 12-fold higher four weeks after the booster”. Age did not impact antibody level production.

The new data also included updated effectiveness numbers for the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That data showed the single dose was 79 percent effective against COVID-19 infections in the U.S., and 81 percent effective against hospitalization.

“There was no evidence of reduced effectiveness over the study duration, including when the Delta variant became dominant in the U.S.,” the company said in a press release.

Johnson & Johnson said it is in talks with regulators, including the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, regarding using booster doses of its vaccine.

“It is critical to prioritize protecting as many people as possible against hospitalization and death given the continued spread of COVID-19,” Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said. “A single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that is easy to use, distribute and administer, and that provides strong and long-lasting protection is crucial to vaccinating the global population.”

The Johnson & Johnson announcement comes as President Joe Biden’s booster shot program is on shaky ground. Last week, experts at the FDA only recommended seniors and vulnerable populations receive a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Other countries including Great Britain, Israel, France and Germany have also begun offering third vaccine doses to some people.