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J&J Covid vaccine booster shot is 94% effective when given at two months

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A healthcare clinician prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for a commuter during the opening of MTA’s public vaccination program at the 179th Street subway station in the Queens borough of New York City, New York, U.S., May 12, 2021.

Reuters The Covid-19 booster dose is 94% efficient when given two months after receiving the initial shot in the U.S. The company also announced that it increases antibody levels by four to six times the rate of one single shot.| Reuters

Johnson & Johnson‘s Covid-19 booster shot is 94% effective when administered two months after the first dose in the U.S., the company announced Tuesday, adding that the booster increases antibody levels four to six times higher than one shot alone.

A J&J booster dose given six months out from the first shot appears to be potentially even more protective against Covid, the company said, generating antibodies twelve-fold higher four weeks after the boost, regardless of age.

When given as a booster, the vaccine remained well-tolerated, with side effects generally consistent with those seen after the initial dose, according to J&J.

“We now have generated evidence that a booster shot further increases protection against COVID-19 and is expected to extend the duration of protection significantly,” Paul Stoffels, J&J’s chief scientific officer, said in a statement.

The new data, provided in a press release, helps J&J make a case to the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a booster shot to some 14.8 million Americans who have received the company’s single-dose vaccine so far.

The Biden administration announced plans last month to roll out booster shots for people who received the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. An FDA advisory committee on Friday unanimously recommended Pfizer booster shots to people age 65 and older and other vulnerable Americans. An agency decision is likely to be made soon.

U.S. health officials said they needed more data on the J&J vaccine before they can recommend boosters of those shots.

The 94% efficacy rate for the J&J booster shot is for the U.S., the company said. According to J&J, the booster shot is effective for 75% of symptomatic infections if administered within two months. The vaccine also proved 100% effective against serious and critical diseases, the company stated.

Data from an actual-world study also showed that a single dose provided long-lasting and strong protection against Covid-19-related hospitalizations. The vaccine was 81% effective after several months.

According to the company, the new data regarding a single dose of vaccine is crucial as it “is critical to prioritize protecting as many people against death and hospitalization as possible given the continuing spread of COVID-19 variants and the rapid-emerging variations.”

Stoffels stated that a single shot COVID-19 vaccine is essential for vaccinating all people. It is simple to administer, use and distribute. The vaccine provides long-lasting and strong protection.

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