Study: J&J vaccine provides little or no protection against Omicron
Published Date: 12/17/2021
Source: axios.com

COVID-19 vaccines produced by Johnson & Johnson and China's Sinopharm, as well as the Russian-made Sputnik V, were found to provide little or no protection against the newly emerging Omicron variant, according to a study out this week.

Driving the news: The study, which was published as a preprint and isn't yet peer-reviewed, found that just three out of 13 people who were fully vaccinated with China's Sinopharm vaccine produced neutralizing antibodies against Omicron.


  • One out of 12 people with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine exhibited neutralizing antibodies.
  • None of the 11 with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine revealed protection, per the study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and Swiss drugmaker Humabs Biomed SA.
  • The study also found that the best protection against Omicron appears to come from both having a prior COVID-19 infection and two doses of a Pfizer vaccine.

The big picture: The study comes as COVID cases are surging around the globe, appearing to be driven by the new variant.

  • Emerging data has found that two doses of Pfizer's vaccine are only marginally effective at preventing Omicron infection, and that booster shots are much more effective, Axios' Caitlin Owens reports.

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