According to a recent report that was published on CNN.com, the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine provides at least 8 months of immunity against the Coronavirus.
But even beyond this, it also seems to provide some protection against the new Delta variant of the virus.
This news brings optimism to some of the darker undertones of the vaccination discussion going on at this stage of the pandemic. With vaccinations slowing down, and larger numbers of people neglecting (or choosing not to) start or complete their vaccinations, there has been some concern that the new variants of the virus (especially the Delta variant) will take hold and start a new wave of infections.
But this news helps to stem at least some of those fears.
Here are the details.
Johnson & Johnson: Virus Immunity And Delta Variant Protection
According to the report, here’s a quote from Dr. Mathai Mammen. He’s the head of research and development at Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine department.
“Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generates a strong neutralizing antibody response that does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time…”
These figures come from measuring the T-cell response. Basically, CD8+ T-cells are what seek out and destroy infected cells. And in the J&J vaccine, these cells were present even 8 months after the vaccination was administered.
How Do Pfizer/BioNTech And Moderna Vaccines Hold Up Long Term?
The two-dose vaccines have been shown to provide protection for at least six months. However, there has been research done that shows that they may be able to provide protection for much longer than was originally expected… even years later.
Of course, this data isn’t necessarily 100% conclusive as of yet.
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have also shown a lot of promise in offering protection against newer worrying strains of the virus as well.
What Does All Of This Mean?
At the end of the day, the vaccines are proving to be even more effective than was previously believed.
There is still talk of boosters. But according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, that may be a topic for a later discussion. Here was a quote from him that was included in the CNN report:
“With regard to the idea of boosting, there’s a lot of talk about that — but right now I think we still need to remember that in fact, the J&J vaccine is a highly effective vaccine that has been recommended very clearly and has received an emergency use authorization…”
At this point, with vaccines that are proving to be effective against the virus, there’s really just one stumbling block remaining.
How to get everyone vaccinated before a variant of the virus swoops in and causes another mass wave of infections.
Only time will tell how it will all play out.
In the meantime, stay safe out there. And if you haven’t gotten vaccinated, you may want to think about jumping in, doing your research, and strongly considering it.