J & J COVID-19 vaccine is significantly less effective against delta mutants

A Study published on July 19 On the medical journal website BioRxiv, the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine is significantly less effective against the highly contagious delta and lambda variants than the Pfizer and Modana double dose vaccines. understood.

The authors of the study found that the double-dose vaccine was 94-95% effective in preventing COVID-19, while the J & J vaccine was only 66.9% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease. I found that.

The study compared the efficacy and drop-off rate of antibody protection from all three vaccines and found that the J & J vaccine reduced neutralization of delta and lambda variants.

The authors of the study are concerned that millions of people vaccinated with the J & J vaccine will continue to be prone to breakthrough infections with serious illnesses caused by the new coronavirus.

The authors of the study also said that while there is currently no sufficient evidence to support the need for boosters, the focus of the medical community should be on primary vaccination efforts in the United States and around the world.

The new study has not yet been peer reviewed and is based on laboratory experiments.

“The message we wanted to convey wasn’t that people shouldn’t be vaccinated with the J & J vaccine, but in the future either another dose of J & J or a booster vaccination with Pfizer or Moderna. I hope to be boosted in. ”The Principal Investigator said New York Times..

Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson reported that the vaccine was effective against highly contagious delta mutants, even eight months after vaccination.

“We believe that our vaccine provides lasting protection against COVID-19 and induces neutralizing activity against delta mutants, which allows single-shot vaccines to protect against multiple strains of concern. It adds strong clinical data to support the disease, “says Payul Stoffels. , Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson in a press release on July 1st.

Relation: Studies: Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may be reduced in efficacy

Recent discoveries about the J & J vaccine are consistent with medical observations about resistance of delta coronavirus variants to other vaccines.

In a study published in Lancet On June 14, researchers found vaccinated patients and non-vaccinated patients who tested positive for COVID-19 between April 1 and June 6, 2021 in Scotland, where delta mutations prevailed. Both vaccinated patients were observed.

Pfizer’s vaccine “provided very good protection: 92% (95% CI 90–93) S Gene negative, 79% (75–82) S Gene positive. The protection associated with the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine), however, was substantial but reduced: 73% (95% CI 66–78). S Gene-negative cases vs. 60% of them (53–66) S “Gene positive”, according to Lancet..

The authors of the study pointed out that further studies need to be done for a more accurate percentage estimate of the efficacy of both vaccines.

Coronavirus delta variants continue to proliferate primarily among unvaccinated populations, and currently account for an estimated 83% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, officials said. This percentage has increased dramatically since the week of July 3, when highly infectious mutants accounted for approximately 50% of sequenced coronavirus cases.

Relation: According to the CDC, delta variants account for 83% of COVID-19 cases in the United States.

The delta variant is a mutant version of the new coronavirus that spreads more easily than other strains. First detected in India earlier this year, it is now confirmed in countries around the world.

To date, 48.6% of the total US population has been fully vaccinated, including nearly 60% of US adults. CDC data shows..

This story was reported by Los Angeles. Kelly Hayes contributed.