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- In one study, J & J’s vaccine produced fewer antibodies to the Delta variant compared to other injections.
- The authors of the study said the weaker antibody response “could lead to decreased protection.”
- But other experts said the COVID-19 lab study did not represent the real world.
A lab experiment showed that Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine produced a weaker antibody response against the Delta variant compared to double-dose injections of Moderna and Pfizer – but it will likely still work against the variant in real life. , according to experts.
Researchers at New York University drew blood from eight people who received the Moderna vaccine, nine people who received the Pfizer vaccine and 10 people who received the J&J vaccine, according to a preprinted version of the study published Tuesday. They compared the antibody response against Delta with the antibody response against the original strain of coronavirus.
In the Moderna and Pfizer group, the antibody response was on average three times lower against Delta. For J & J’s shot, it was 5.4 times lower than Delta’s, the study authors said.
The study’s authors said the weaker antibody response for J & J’s shot “could lead to decreased protection.” More than 9 million Americans have received the vaccine.
The Delta coronavirus variant, which is the most common cause of new infections in the United States, is about 50% more infectious than the once-dominant Alpha variant and has mutations that can help it bypass the immune response.
Dr Ned Landau, who led the experiment, told CNBC the results suggested that people who received the J&J vaccine “should at least consider” a second dose of the same vaccine, or one from Pfizer or Moderna.
But other experts aren’t convinced with the results of a small lab study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed by other experts. They say Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine might still work against Delta in real life.
The insider’s Hilary Brueck reported on Tuesday that fully vaccinated people can contract COVID-19 – but if they do, they usually show mild symptoms, if any.
Read more: Experts explain why mRNA technology that revolutionized COVID-19 vaccines could be the answer to incurable diseases, heart attacks and even snakebites: “The possibilities are endless”
Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, said on Twitter on Tuesday that the antibody response with J & J’s vaccine was above the “concern” threshold.
“There is also the T cell response,” he added. Another aspect of the immune system is the T cell response – it’s harder to study in the lab, but it’s believed to be crucial in protecting against variants. The NYU team did not examine this in their study.
Peter Chin-Hong, professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC10 News that “you can’t necessarily extrapolate from lab studies to what’s going on in real life,” citing the performance of J&J against the beta variant.
The same NYU study showed that the antibody response of the J&J vaccine against the beta variant, first found in South Africa, was 6.5 times lower than against the original variant. But in humans, J & J’s vaccine was 64% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease in its trials in South Africa, when 95% of infections were caused by the beta variant.
Real-world data from South Africa, released by the South African Medical Research Council on July 1, showed that 94% of health workers who were vaccinated with J & J’s vaccine and then caught COVID-19 had only mild infections.
The company said on July 2 that its COVID-19 vaccine should work against Delta.
Despite this, some experts who received injections of J&J opted to have an extra dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Neither the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the Food and Drug Administration recommend that people who have received J&J take an extra dose. There isn’t enough data to support the approach, they say.
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