The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is less effective against the Delta variant that's spreading fast across the world, shows a new study published in the medical journal Biorxiv by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSH).
The study examined blood samples in a laboratory setting of people who received the jab and has suggested that anyone who took the J&J vaccine might need to receive a second shot as the variant continues to spread across the US.
The head of the study, Nathaniel Landau, who is a virologist a thet NYU's Grossman School of Medicine told The New York Times: 'The message that we wanted to give was not that people shouldn't get the J&J vaccine, but we hope that in the future, it will be boosted with either another dose of J&J or a boost with Pfizer or Moderna.''
However, a spokesperson from J&J Seema Kumar told NYT that the latest study by the CSH does not fully cover its immune protection. The study ''do not speak to the full nature of immune protection,'' she said.
The study comes at a time when the Covid-19 cases have seen a sudden spike across the U.S and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told during NBC's Today Show, that she has informed lawmakers that the Delta variant currently accounts to 83 percent of all coronavirus cases in the US.
Previous studies have indicated that mRNA vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech are effective against the Delta variant and could provide protection for a life time, but cautioned that the protection would last only if the virus doesn't mutate beyond its initial form.
The Delta variant has caused an increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in recent weeks and medical experts believe it could peak in the coming months if caution is not exercised and unvaccinated people could face serious consequences by the new variant.
Due to the rising cases in Delta variant, health officials in Las Vegas and Los Angeles have reimposed mask mandates in indoor spaces, regardless if people have received the vaccine or not.
