Second dose of J&J vaccine gives strong boost, says company report

A booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine dramatically raises the levels of antibodies against the coronavirus, the company reported on Wednesday.

Johnson & Johnson will submit the data to the US Food and Drug Administration, which is evaluating similar studies from Pfizer and Moderna, reports the New York Times.

If authorised by the agency, the Biden administration wants to provide booster shots eight months after vaccination.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was absent from the government's initial booster plan, announced last week. But with the new data, the company hopes to be part of the initial distribution of additional shots, which could happen as early as September.

"We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination," Dr Mathai Mammen, the global head of Janssen Research & Development at Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement.