Preliminary data show J&J vaccine could be effective against delta variant

Preliminary data show that Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose coronavirus vaccine could be effective against the delta variant (B.1.617.2) of the coronavirus.

The company said in a statement that its vaccine demonstrated a “strong, persistent activity against the rapidly spreading Delta variant and other highly prevalent SARS-CoV-2 viral variants.”

The company added that the data showed the durability of the response lasted for at least eight months.

Moderna said on Tuesday that its vaccine produced neutralizing antibodies after two doses against the delta and the beta variants in a lab study.

Vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca have also been found to offer protection against hospitalization due to the variant in a study in the United Kingdom.

Context: There has been growing concern about the level of protection offered by the J&J vaccine against the delta variant, leading some people to take matters into their own hands and get a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine like Moderna or Pfizer-BioNtech. This announcement could tamp down some of those concerns, but it’s also worth noting the data have not been published yet.