South Africa study shows high Covid protection from J&J vaccine
Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is working well in South Africa, offering protection against severe disease and death, the head of a trial in the country said on Friday. The J&J vaccine was administered to healthcare workers from mid-February in a research study, which was completed in May, with 477,234 health workers vaccinated, joint lead investigator on the trial Glenda Gray told a media briefing.
South Africa's health regulator approved the J&J shot in April, and it is being used in the national vaccine program alongside Pfizer's. Gray said the single-shot J&J vaccine offered 91 per cent to 96.2 per cent protection against death, while offering 67 per cent efficacy when the Beta corona virus variant dominates and about 71 per cent when the Delta variant dominates.
"Consistently after receiving the vaccine, there was very little death occurring in the vaccinated group as compared to the control group and showing a remarkable up to 96.2 per cent protection against death," Gray said. "This was our primary endpoint and we are able to say this vaccine protected health workers against death," she added.
