Study finds Johnson & Johnson booster 85% effective against severe Omicron

A South African study has found that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 85% effective at preventing hospitalisation from the Omicron variant. According to an AFP report, researchers compared 69,000 healthcare workers who’d been given 2 doses of the vaccine, versus a group of unvaccinated people.

The findings show that when a booster is administered between 6 and 9 months after the first dose, protection against hospitalisation increases over time, up to 85% around 2 months after the booster dose. South Africa has reported 3.4 million infections and 90,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic. According to the AFP report, around half a million of the country’s healthcare workers have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as part of clinical trials.

The latest findings may help to revive the vaccine’s reputation after the US recommended mRNA vaccines instead…