Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine produced fewer antibodies against Delta compared with other shots, experts say

A lab experiment showed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine produced a weaker antibody response against the Delta variant when compared with Moderna and Pfizer’s double-dose shots – but it will probably still work against the variant in real life, experts say.

New York University researchers drew blood from eight people who received Moderna’s vaccine, nine people who got Pfizer’s, and 10 people that got J&J’s, according to a preprint version of the study posted Tuesday. They compared the antibody response against Delta with the antibody response against the original strain of the coronavirus.

In the Moderna and Pfizer group, the antibody response was three times lower against Delta, on average. For J&J’s shot, it was 5.4 times lower against Delta, the study authors said.

The study authors said that the lower antibody response for J&J’s shot “could result in 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 US, is about 50% more infectious than the formerly-dominant Alpha variant, and has mutations that can help it avoid the immune response.

Dr. Ned Landau, who led the experiment, told CNBC that the findings suggested people who got 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 about the findings of a small lab study, which hasn’t yet been scrutinized by other experts in a peer review. They say Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine could still work against Delta in real life.

Insider’s Hilary Brueck reported Tuesday that fully vaccinated people can get COVID-19 – but if they do, they usually get mild symptoms, or none at all.

Source: Business Insider.

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