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Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine has a 64% efficacy rate at preventing the more contagious South African variant, according to new report posted online by the Food and Drug Administration in the US on Wednesday.
The new report, prepared by the company, found its efficacy rate against the 501Y.V2 variant is seven percentage points higher than an earlier report released by the company. Johnson & Johnson previously said that the vaccine offers 57% protection against moderate to severe Covid-19 infections in South Africa.
Vaccine efficacy against severe Covid cases was 73%, 14 days after vaccination, increasing to 82% at least 28 days after vaccination.
There were no deaths due to Covid among South African trial participants who received the J&J vaccine. More than 5,000 South Africans took part in the J&J vaccine trial, of which around half received a placebo vaccine.
“These results suggest that the vaccine is efficacious against mortality associated with Covid-19,” the report found.
South Africa became the first country in the world to officially roll out the vaccine last Wednesday.