Almost 17 million Americans have received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine — equal to the populations of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia mixed — an enormous quantity that appears to have been forgotten in a rustic dominated by Pfizer or Moderna recipients.
The single J&J Janssen shot was initially touted for its comfort and accessibility — a one-and-done routine that didn’t require ultra-cold storage.
But there have been questions on its efficacy in contrast to the two-shot mRNA vaccine sequence and concern about the danger of uncommon blood clots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now calls the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines the “preferred” choices over J&J in most conditions.
There appears to be little steering now for recipients of the least-used vaccine. So if you’ve already gotten the J&J shot or are nonetheless contemplating it, what’s the newest on the safety it offers and whether or not you need extra pictures?
TODAY requested Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the division of infectious ailments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and professor of medication at Harvard Medical School; and Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of the division of infectious ailments at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and professor of medication at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Are you nonetheless thought of totally vaccinated with one J&J shot?
Yes, an individual who has received a main sequence of a COVID-19 vaccine — a single-dose, in the case of J&J’s vaccine — is taken into account totally vaccinated, in accordance to the CDC.
“I think that’s in sore need of updating,” Kuritzkes stated. “Practically speaking, based on the totality of the data, I would consider that a single shot of the J&J vaccine is inadequate to provide full protection.”
The CDC is now transferring in the direction of the terminology of staying “up to date” along with your vaccines, which implies further pictures.
What does it imply to be boosted if you’ve had the J&J vaccine?
It means receiving a booster dose no less than two months after getting the preliminary shot. Booster doses from Pfizer or Moderna are most well-liked, the CDC stated.
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“For J&J, there is some data to suggest that antibody levels are better if you switch to the mRNA vaccine and in particular Moderna, so many people will opt for that choice to get higher antibody levels,” Gulick stated.
You may get a second J&J shot, which confirmed excessive ranges of safety in opposition to the omicron variant, in accordance to knowledge printed forward of peer assessment in December.
People typically discuss being “triple vaxxed” in the context of mRNA vaccines — the two-shot sequence, plus a booster — which primarily interprets to being “double vaxxed” for J&J recipients: the preliminary single dose of the vaccine, plus a booster.
Are individuals who received the J&J shot plus a booster equally protected as these vaccinated and boosted with mRNA pictures?
“We don’t know the answer to that. These groups have not been compared,” Gulick stated.
Kuritzkes agreed, noting scientists don’t have sufficient follow-up but.
But he predicted that “if you had a J&J vaccine at some point during the spring or summer (of 2021) and then you got boosted in the fall with an mRNA vaccine, at this point it’s likely that you have very high antibody levels that would be the equivalent of somebody who was ‘triple vaxxed.’”
“Right now, optimal protection is with a third shot of an mRNA or a second shot of a J&J,” stated Dr. Anthony S. Fauci on Tuesday.
Is there a need or advantage of J&J recipients to obtain two pictures of the mRNA vaccine?
Not in the context of getting the two-shot mRNA sequence 21 or 28 days aside, each consultants stated. That has not been studied and isn’t presently really useful, however there’s energetic analysis happening proper now to see if individuals need a second booster, Gulick famous.
What will we know about J&J’s safety now?
The largest real-world research to date, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, confirmed a single shot of the vaccine offered safety in opposition to COVID-19 breakthrough infections, hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions for up to six months, the firm introduced Thursday.
Last 12 months, it stated a single dose of its vaccine supplied 70% safety in opposition to average to extreme types of the illness, with a second shot given about two months after the first growing the effectiveness to 94%.
Besides stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies, vaccines additionally induce T cells, one other layer of safety.
“The major plus for the J&J vaccine is that it does induce very high levels of cytotoxic T cells. These are cells that are instructed to kill virus-infected cells,” Kuritzkes stated.
The T cells are persisting whether or not or not antibody ranges are reducing, which can clarify why J&J’s stage of safety appeared to stay fairly steady at six months in contrast to the decline noticed for the mRNA vaccines — although they nonetheless began off with a better stage of safety, he famous.
Studies proceed on how sturdy and steady the safety of all the vaccines is.
If you had the J&J vaccine with none blood clot issues, is it OK to get the second shot?
It’s unclear, each consultants stated. The vaccine has been linked to the danger of uncommon however probably life-threatening blood clots. At least 54 individuals in the U.S., largely youthful girls, have been hospitalized from these blood clots, and 9 individuals have died.
For these contemplating a J&J booster, the danger might linger even when they skilled no issues with the preliminary shot.
“Just because that didn’t happen the first time around, I’m not sure you could guarantee it wouldn’t happen the second time around,” Kuritzkes stated.
“If you were an older person or a man and wanted to get a boost of J&J and you did fine with the first the shot, it’s probably fine. I would still have some hesitation if I were a young woman getting boosted with the J&J.”
