In a small laboratory study of protection against the Delta variant spreading across the United States and other nations, Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine showed significant results. According to J&J, the COVID-19 vaccine produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies in blood samples collected from eight persons who had been vaccinated.
The good results add to a growing body of data that presently approved COVID-19 vaccinations can protect against the Delta variant, which looks to be more infectious than other strains. The Johnson & Johnson vaccination gives considerable protection against serious infection and hospitalization, according to data provided by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).
J&J COVID-19 vaccine manifest significant efficacy
After being infected with COVID-19, 94% of healthcare workers immunized as part of the Sisonke Phase 3b study with the J&J vaccine showed mild symptoms. Approximately 479,768 healthcare professionals were vaccinated against COVID-19 with the J&J vaccine as part of the Sisonke implementation trial.
The vaccination provided considerable protection to healthcare workers with breakthrough infections, according to data from the SAMRC and Sisonke. COVID-19 positive cases that arise 28 days after the vaccination are considered breakthrough infections, as per News24.
Professor Glenda Gray, the CEO of SAMRC, was addressing during a virtual media briefing on the country's pandemic response. She said that J&J's vaccine against Beta and Delta variants works efficiently and assures the public there is no need for a booster. However, researchers need to follow participants to identify the durability of their immune response.
Researchers examined the blood of ten patients who had been vaccinated with the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine and tested it against several serious variants, including Delta, in a lab trial. Dr. Dan Barouch, head of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, who assisted with the research, told ABC News, "I would say it's reassuring. We found the J&J vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies."
In fact, according to Barouch, another encouraging result of the trial was that those who had the Johnson & Johnson shot had a robust immune system response up to eight months later. COVID-19 vaccines may provide longer-lasting protection than some scientists predicted, according to a growing body of research. This is because memory B cells, which are part of the immune system, continue to grow over time and preserve their ability to fight infection.
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COVID-19 vaccines vs. Delta variant
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delta was projected to become the prevalent strain in the United States in the following weeks. The J&J vaccine offers less immediate protection than the messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna; and scientists are debating whether some people may require repeat doses to keep the virus at bay in the long run.
Scientists and certain vaccine makers have been working on new versions of their vaccines to specifically target the developing variants, which have shown to be far more transmissible than the original virus that first appeared in Wuhan, China, in late 2019.
The firm said more robust data will be published on bioRxiv, an online research repository. Antibody levels, known as titers, were significantly greater in reaction to the Delta variant than the Beta variant initially discovered in South Africa, according to data given by the firm.
Per the SCMP, the second dosage of J&J's vaccine has been shown to boost a person's antibody level. Van Hoof said the business intends to provide efficacy data from a late-stage trial of a two-shot regimen by the end of August.
The business is also looking at the vaccine's capacity to generate T cells, which is another indicator of its effectiveness. According to Van Hoof, the injection increased T cell immunity against the virus and its variants for eight months.
J&J's COVID-19 vaccine has struggled to gain momentum due to manufacturing issues and a temporary halt in usage as regulators examined allegations that some patients received it and developed severe blood clots. On April 23, the hold was removed after ten days.
Related Article: New Study: Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Could Provide 'Years' of Protection Against the Existing Coronavirus Variants
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