Trial finds J&J booster shot leads to strong immune response

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) said on Wednesday that a second dose of its COVID-19 vaccine was found in a study to generate a strong immune response, justifying a booster shot after eight months, reported Xinhua.

J&J said researchers found antibody levels increased ninefold among people who received a second dose of its vaccine, compared with one month after they received a first dose. The company didn't specify exactly when or how many subjects received the second dose, though information posted about the clinical trial in an online government database indicates it was administered six months after the first shot.

The findings are expected to inform the U.S. booster strategy set to begin in September, when the United States plans to begin offering boosters to people who received messenger-RNA vaccines, reported The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, adding that later it is likely to expand the program to include J&J's viral-vector vaccine.