WASHINGTON: People who received Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine may benefit from a booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna, preliminary results of a US study published Wednesday showed.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was eagerly awaited in the United States because it looked at the possibility of “mixing” vaccines — using a different vaccine than the initial doses for the booster shot — which is not currently allowed in the country.
The study was conducted on 458 adults who had been vaccinated with one of three US-approved brands (Pfizer, Moderna or J&J) for at least 12 weeks.
These three groups were each divided into three new groups to receive one of the available vaccines as a booster. The nine groups consisted of about 50 people each.
Researchers then analyzed antibody levels 15 days after the booster shot.
For people originally inoculated with J&J, antibody levels were four times higher after a J&J booster, 35 times higher after a Pfizer booster and 76 times higher after a Moderna booster.
And antibody levels for those who had originally received Moderna shots were higher “irrespective of the booster vaccine administered,” when compared with those who had initially received Pfizer or J&J, the study said.
Additionally, “no safety concerns were identified” after booster doses were administered, it found.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, has several limitations, however.
The number of participants was small, and the immune response could evolve over time, beyond the 15 days observed during the study.
“Important not to get too carried away with the findings,” tweeted Peter Hotez, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Results from trials on a second J&J booster shot conducted by the company itself were “impressive,” he said.
The NIH study should fuel discussions by a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expert committee, which is scheduled to consider applications for a booster dose from Moderna and J&J on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
A booster from Pfizer has already been approved in the United States for certain populations, such as people aged 65 or older, adults with high-risk medical conditions and those in jobs where they are frequently exposed to the coronavirus.
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Moderna or Pfizer booster works better for people vaccinated with J&J: study
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Moderna or Pfizer booster works better for people vaccinated with J&J: study
- The study was conducted on 458 adults who had been vaccinated with one of three US-approved brands (Pfizer, Moderna or J&J) for at least 12 weeks.
Indonesia to go ahead with free meals program despite ‘extraordinary’ campaign against it, president says
- Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has been in turmoil following a warning about stock market transparency
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto said on Friday that he will proceed with his free meals program despite the “extraordinary” campaign mounted against it, adding that it is being funded through budget efficiency measures.
“We will implement this program,” Prabowo said during the launch of a free meal kitchen operated by the national police in Jakarta.
“We will face the extraordinary campaign, which said that I am wasting money,” he added.
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has been in turmoil following a warning about stock market transparency by index provider MSCI, which caused a frantic sell-off that slashed the market’s value by $120 billion.
Days later, Moody’s cut its bond-rating outlook for Indonesia’s government and some of its companies to negative.
Investors have also expressed concern about Prabowo’s big spending plans, including the $20 billion free meals scheme, but he said savings from elsewhere will ensure that Indonesia remains within its fiscal deficit limit of 3 percent of GDP.
“This is what we are saving money on, this is what we are diverting... Our state budget does not exceed the parameters we set,” he said.
Since the program’s launch in January last year, at least 15,000 children across the country have fallen ill as a result of food poisoning.
During the event, Prabowo said the percentage of children affected was low and stressed that the overall scheme had “succeeded,” with 60 million free meal recipients as of Friday.
“We will implement this program,” Prabowo said during the launch of a free meal kitchen operated by the national police in Jakarta.
“We will face the extraordinary campaign, which said that I am wasting money,” he added.
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has been in turmoil following a warning about stock market transparency by index provider MSCI, which caused a frantic sell-off that slashed the market’s value by $120 billion.
Days later, Moody’s cut its bond-rating outlook for Indonesia’s government and some of its companies to negative.
Investors have also expressed concern about Prabowo’s big spending plans, including the $20 billion free meals scheme, but he said savings from elsewhere will ensure that Indonesia remains within its fiscal deficit limit of 3 percent of GDP.
“This is what we are saving money on, this is what we are diverting... Our state budget does not exceed the parameters we set,” he said.
Since the program’s launch in January last year, at least 15,000 children across the country have fallen ill as a result of food poisoning.
During the event, Prabowo said the percentage of children affected was low and stressed that the overall scheme had “succeeded,” with 60 million free meal recipients as of Friday.
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