A study of health workers in South Africa found a booster shot of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine greatly reduced the risk of hospitalization during the omicron surge.
J&J said Thursday the second dose was 85% effective in preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations in November and December. That’s according to preliminary results of a study of 69,000 health workers in South Africa.
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Omicron is highly contagious and can evade some of the protection offered by vaccination or prior infection. But earlier studies of other COVID-19 vaccines have suggested vaccination still strongly protects against severe illness. Similar findings about J&J’s vaccine are important data for Africa, where the shot plays a key role in vaccinations.
J&J also announced preliminary results of some U.S. lab testing that suggested its shot could be considered as a mix-and-match booster for people who’ve received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.