The efficacy of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine increases to upto 94% if a booster dose is administered two months after the first dose in the United States, the company has said.

“A J&J booster dose given six months out from the first shot appears to be potentially even more protective against COVID,” the company said,

The vaccine remained well tolerated when accompanied by a booster, with side effects similar to those after the first dose, according to the company.

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“We now have generated evidence that a booster shot further increases protection against COVID-19 and is expected to extend the duration of protection significantly,” J&J chief scientific officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said in a statement.

The new data makes a case for J&J to the Food and Drug Administration for getting the booster shot authorised to those who have been inoculated with the company’s first shot.

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“The 94% efficacy rate for the J&J booster shot is for the US”, the company said. “Globally, a booster shot given about two months after the first dose is 75% effective against symptomatic infection, according to the company. It also demonstrated 100% effectiveness against severe and critical disease,” it added.

In the data released by the company, according to a real study, a single dose of their vaccine offers long-lasting and stronger protection against hospitalisation due to COVID-19, further displaying 81% efficacy after many months.

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“The new data on a single dose will help the critical need to prioritize protecting as many people as possible against hospitalization and death given the continued spread of COVID-19 and rapidly emerging variants,” the company said.

“A single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that is easy to use, distribute and administer that provides strong and long-lasting protection is crucial to vaccinating the global population,” Stoffels said.