By Sue-Ann Wayow
CREATORS of the one shot Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) Covid-19 vaccine are claiming that its booster shot will give added protection against the virus that is rapidly mutating.
The company stated on its website on Wednesday, that the booster shot “generated a rapid and robust increase” in antibodies.
Antibodies created from a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were nine times higher after 28 days compared to those who received the one-shot vaccine over the same period, the company said.
Global Head, Janssen Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson, Mathai Mammen said, “We have established that a single shot of our Covid-19 vaccine generates strong and robust immune responses that are durable and persistent through eight months. With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine. We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination.”
Booster shots evidence being monitored
Speaking at the Ministry of Health’ s virtual press conference on Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram said the global situation regarding vaccines and booster shots will be monitored.
He added that the makers of Pfizer, which is currently being given to pregnant women and persons in the 12 to 18 age bracket, have put forward a proposal to the World Health Organization (WHO) advising that a third shot of their vaccine be given.
Dr Parasram said, “We have spoken about this since the beginning, the possibility of having boosters in a year’s time, in six months time, as months progress we would look at the uptake of the vaccine, in the country and a policy decision will be taken at that point by the Honourable Prime Minister and maybe the Cabinet as to what will happen.”
He is hoping by then, the majority of the population would have already been fully vaccinated with two doses of a vaccine.
“We will be in a position then to make a decision based on the new evidence of course,” Dr Parasram said.
Decrease in Covid-19 tests
And Dr Parasram said there was currently a decrease in persons being tested for Covid-19 which was a good sign.
The CMO said testing across medical institutions would be done for everyone that presented with a viral like illness as well as those prepping for surgical procedures.
He said, “What we have noted throughout the year and a half in the epidemic is that when less people are presenting in the different settings, the testing will be less. Less people presenting, less testing occurring, that’s what we are seeing now, it is a good sign and has been a good indicator of the number of people presenting with viral illnesses.”
