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 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 programme alongside Pfizer’s. Gray said the single-shot J&J vaccine offered 91% to 96.2% protection against death, while offering 67% protection against hospitalisation when the Beta coronavirus variant dominates and about 71% protection against hospitalisation when the Delta variant dominates. “This was our primary endpoint and we are able to say this vaccine protected health workers against death,” she added. (This story corrects paragraph 4 to show protection rates are against hospitalisation, not infection.)

Source: MetroXpress August 06, 2021 06:40 UTC