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J&J Covid booster highly effective vs. severe omicron
By Nidz Godino
” killer T cells search for cells that have been infected with the virus and destroy them, helping prevent severe illness ,this data is important given increased reliance on Ad26.COV.2 vaccine in Africa,” preliminary South African government study published Thursday showed booster of Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine was 85 percent effective in preventing hospitalization from Omicron variant, finding helps revive shot’s reputation.
The South African Medical Research Council compared 69,000 health care workers who received two doses of vaccine, based on viral vector technology, against group of people who were unvaccinated.
The research, which has not yet been peer reviewed, was conducted from November 15 to December 20, 2021,a time when heavily-mutated Omicron variant increased from 82 to 98 percent of Covid-19 cases in the country.
When booster shot was given six to nine months after the first dose, vaccine efficacy against hospitalization increased over time, from 63 percent at 0-13 days to 85 percent one to two months post-boost.
The result was also hailed by the company. In a statement, J&J scientist Mathai Mammen showed vaccine “remains strong and stable over time, including against circulating variants such as Omicron and Delta.”
Around half a million South African health staff have received Johnson jabs as part of clinical trials.
Africa’s hardest-hit country, South Africa has recorded more than 3.4 million cases and 90,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
An earlier South African study in December found that two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine prevented hospital admissions by up to 70 percent. Results for three doses of that vaccine aren’t yet known.
The news comes weeks after United States formally recommended mRNA vaccines, made by Pfizer and Moderna, over J&J shot, because of greater risks related to rare form of blood clotting.
Preliminary lab studies had also shown J&J vaccine triggers fewer neutralizing antibodies — Y-shaped proteins that block infection against heavily mutated Omicron variant, compared to mRNA vaccines, and it was suggested that it would be less effective in real life too.
The reason it performs better in the real world than some expected could be it evokes heightened response of another part of immune system, known as cellular immunity.
A separate, small analysis carried out by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston on 65 individuals found that J&J booster on top of two doses of Pfizer Covid vaccine might provide greater protection than three doses of Pfizer vaccine.
Though antibody levels surged to high levels after three doses of Pfizer, they also waned within few weeks, while they rose steadily after two Pfizer shots and J&J shot, and were at higher levels after four weeks.
Boosting with J&J vaccine also elicited strong increase in “killer T cells.”
Though they can’t stop infection, killer T cells search for cells that have been infected with the virus and destroy them, helping prevent severe illness. They are able to withstand variants far better than antibodies.
Overall, the data might mean mix-and-match boosting could provide stronger protection than continuing with the same vaccine, but the long term durability of both strategies needs further study, said J&J.
Sinovac’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine followed by a booster Pfizer-BioNTech shot showed lower immune response against Omicron variant compared with other strains, according to a study by researchers.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed yet, was conducted by researchers from Yale University, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Health and other institutions.
The Sinovac two-dose regimen along with the Pfizer shot produced antibody response similar to a two-dose mRNA vaccine, according to the study. Antibody levels against Omicron were 6.3-fold lower when compared with the ancestral variant and 2.7-fold lower when compared with Delta.
Akiko Iwasaki, one of the authors of the study, said on Twitter that CoronaVac recipients may need two additional booster doses to achieve protective levels needed against Omicron.
The two-dose Sinovac vaccine alone did not show any detectable neutralization against Omicron, according to the study that analyzed plasma samples from 101 participants in the Dominican Republic.
A study from Hong Kong last week said even three doses of Sinovac vaccine did not produce enough antibody response against Omicron and that it had to be boosted by Pfizer-BioNTech shot to achieve “protective levels.”
Sinovac’s CoronaVac and state-owned Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV vaccine are the two most-used vaccines in China and the leading COVID-19 shots exported by the country. Hong Kong has been using Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
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