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J&J’s data, backed up by South African’s Medical Research Council, showed the immune response lasted for at least eight months and could prevent serious illness and hospitalization.
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine works effectively against the delta variant that now dominates new infections in South Africa, the head of the country’s Medical Research Council said on Friday.
As well as South Africa, delta is now rife across Europe and has spread around the world since initially being identified in India, but data shows the J&J shot can help combat the highly contagious variant.
“All the data that we see indicate good immediate and sustained immune response against Delta, and we see surprising durability in the immune response for the single-dose J&J right up to eight months,” Glenda Gray told a news conference.
On Thursday, J&J said its vaccine generated strong and persistent activity against other prevalent coronavirus variants, not just delta.
The vaccine showed 85% efficacy and could prevent serious illness and hospitalization.
“Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generates a strong neutralizing antibody response that does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time,” said a company statement.
Here’s a rundown of other major coronavirus developments around the world.
Europe
German Health Minister Jens Spahn urged people to get fully vaccinated in order to contain the spread of the delta variant.
Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) suggested that the delta variant now made up around half the cases in Germany. “It’s up to us whether delta gets a chance,” said Spahn.
