coronavirus

Johnson & Johnson's Booster Offers Strong Protection Against Hospitalization, South African Study Shows

Preliminary results found that for people who had received one vaccine dose, the booster raised protection against hospitalization to 85 percent from 63 percent

Emily Elconin | Getty Images

Johnson & Johnson's booster shot provides high levels of protection against the omicron variant of Covid-19, according to data from a trial of healthcare workers in South Africa released Thursday.

Preliminary results from the Sisonke study, which have not been peer-reviewed, found that for people who had received one vaccine dose, the booster improved protection against hospitalization to 85 percent from 63 percent.

The study, carried out by the South African Medical Research Council compared 69,000 healthcare workers in South Africa to a group of unvaccinated South Africans.

The trial took place in November and December but participants were enrolled before the current wave now sweeping across the country, allowing researchers to "evaluate the effectiveness of the Company’s Covid-19 vaccine specifically as omicron became the dominant variant in the country," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the Johnson & Johnson booster in October, but earlier this month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people should get the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna boosters instead where possible, citing concerns over extremely rare blood clots.

Read the full story here at NBCNews.com

Contact Us