Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers little to no protection against Omicron variant, new study claims

Covid vaccines made by China’s state-owned Sinopharm and Johnson & Johnson, as well as the Sputnik vaccine developed by Russia, are likely to produce little or no antibodies against the Covid strain Omicron, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Washington and Swiss drugmaker Humabs Biomed SA analyzed the efficacy of six vaccines against the new Covid variant, which has now been identified in 77 countries.

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.

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.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday announced a major expansion to the UK’s booster programme after being shown data that suggested two vaccine doses were likely to provide little protection against Omicron.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that double-jabbed people likely have around 30 per cent protection against Omicron, whereas a booster shot is thought to provide around 70 to 75 protection against the new variant. All adults in the UK are now being offered a third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.