Against Omicron, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 85% effective against severe forms

the vaccine at a dose and its recall from the American laboratory Johnson & johnson (Ad26.COV2.S) remains 85% effective against severe cases of infection in South Africa where the Omicron variant is ultra-dominant, according to a study unpaired peer reviewed released Thursday. ” The effectiveness of the vaccine against hospitalizations increases after injection of the booster dose », Reaching 85% one to two months after the second injection, according to the study published on the pre-publication site medRxiv.

The study by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) was conducted on healthcare workers from November 8 to December 17, 2021. Almost half a million South African healthcare professionals received Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in clinical trials. The variant, which exhibits an unusually high number of mutations, is responsible for almost all new cases in South Africa, where it was detected in November. Highly contagious, its resistance vaccine is one of the main concerns.

Stable and effective against variants

” The efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson anti-Covid vaccine remains strong and stable over time, including against circulating variants such as Omicron and Delta“, Confirmed the American laboratory in a communicated in view of the results of the study.

African country officially the most affected, South Africa has more than 3.4 million cases and 90,000 deaths. Earlier in December, another South African study showed that the US laboratory’s vaccine Pfizer is generally less effective against Omicron but protects 70% against severe cases.