Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is protective against the Indian ‘Delta’ variant, officials reveal.
According to new data released from a clinical trial in South Africa, the one-shot vaccine was 71 percent effective against hospitalization from Delta and 96 percent effective against death.
it was even more effective than agains the Beta variant, which originated in South Africa, joint lead investigator Glenda Gray told a media briefing.
The data counter previous studies that suggested the vaccine was less effective against Delta than Pfizer or Moderna and provide evidence for why the single-dose jab may be a game changer in the fight against
A South African study looked at more than 477,000 healthcare workers who were given the J&J vaccine from mid-February to May
The vaccine was 71% effective against hospitalization and 76% against death when the Indian ‘Delta’ variant was dominant. Pictured: A health care worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine to 15-year-old Valentina Jimenez in Miami, August 5
For the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, the J&J vaccine was administered to more than 477,000 healthcare workers from mid-February to May.
South Africa’s health regulator approved the J&J shot for emergency use in April, and it is being used in the national vaccine program alongside the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Investigators looked at the vaccine’s effectiveness against bot the Beta variant and the Delta variant.
The beta variant was first announced by South Africa’s health department in the Eastern Cape province of the county on December 18.
It has 21 mutations, including one it shares with the UK ‘Alpha’ variant in a location on its genome known as N501Y.
The variant was first discovered in September 2020 in the Maharashtra state, which is the second most-populous state in India and where Mumbai is located.
Indian health authorities labeled the variant a ‘double mutant’ because it carries two mutations: L452R and E484Q.
Both of the mutations occur on key parts of the virus that allows it to enter and infect human cells.
Gray said that, against the Beta variant, the single-shot J&J vaccine was 67 percent against hospitalization and 91 percent against death.
However, against the Delta variant, the vaccine offered 71 percent protection against hospitalization and 96 percent protection against death.
‘Consistently after receiving the vaccine, there was very little death occurring in the vaccinated group as compared to the control group and showing a remarkable up-to 96.2 protection against death,’ Gray said.
‘This was our primary endpoint and we are able to say this vaccine protected health workers against death,’ she added.
What’s more, the study did not find any safety concerns regarding the vaccine.
Of the vaccinated participants, just two people experience had blood clots with low platelet counts, but both made a full recovery, Gray said.
South Africa’s vaccination campaign got off to a shaky start in February after the government paused AstraZeneca vaccinations because of a small trial showing the shot offered minimal protection against mild to moderate illness caused by the Beta variant, which was dominant in the country at the time.
Vaccinations have since ramped up, with more than 8.3 million people vaccinated as of Thursday.
Newly appointed health minister Joe Phaahla told the same briefing that the government was planning to start using other vaccines approved by the regulator, including the Sinovac shot.
‘It was approved…also that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has now been shown to be effective against the Delta variant, that we should also look at bringing it back into use,’ Phaahla said.
Source link : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9867919/South-Africa-study-shows-high-COVID-protection-J-J-vaccine.html
