NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (NewsNation Now) Johnson & Johnson Wednesday announced that its current single-dose vaccine shot can work well as a booster shot, according to a press release.
Interim data from two studies conducted by the company indicated a “rapid and robust” immune system response to the booster when given 8 months after the initial dose.
It’s important to note that this is not the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the J&J booster dose. While companies submit findings from studies to the agency routinely, they do not guarantee approval.
“We have established that a single shot of our COVID-19 vaccine generates strong and robust immune responses that are durable and persistent through eight months. With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine,” said Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head, Janssen Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson. “We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination.”
There had been widespread speculation over how the booster shot system would work with the single-dose vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already rolled out plans for boosters for the Pfizer and Moderna two-shot vaccines.
The booster plan calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The doses could begin the week of Sept. 20.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday that the latest immunological data shows that a booster shot increases protection against COVID-19 ten-fold which is among the reasons health officials gave the recommendation.
Earlier this week, the FDA gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, a milestone that may help lift public confidence in the shots as the nation battles the most contagious coronavirus mutation yet.