J&J's COVID-19 vaccine booster was 85% effective against hospitalization, in South Africa study

Johnson & Johnson JNJ, -0.72% said Thursday that a South African Phase 3 study showed that its a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine was 85% effective in preventing COVID-19-related hospitalization. The drug maker said the study, conducted by the South African Medical Research Council, was conducted from mid-November to mid-December, which is after omicron became the dominant variant. “This adds to our growing body of evidence which shows that the effectiveness of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine remains strong and stable over time, including against circulating variants such as Omicron and Delta,” said Mathai Mammen, global head of J&J’s Janssen Research & Development LLC. J&J’s stock, which was little changed in premarket trading, has gained 9.0% this year, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.16% has advanced 19.2%.