Mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines boosters might give people more protection from the virus and potential future variants. A new study suggests that using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a booster may do just that.
The report suggests that those who first received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and got the J&J vaccine as a booster have a stronger immune response, researchers said on Sunday.
Researchers also said in their report that it might do more to elicit protection against severe disease when breakthrough cases occur.
The study had 65 volunteers who were immunized with the Pfizer vaccine receive the J&J Janssen vaccine as a booster.
It then found that the vaccination method produced slower but more sustained antibody response against the original strain of COVID-19 and the Delta and Beta variants, CNN reported.
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Their study suggested that while those who received an additional dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech saw a quicker and stronger immune response, the immunity dropped off faster.
Dr. Dan Barouch of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School led the study team and shared with CNN what they found.
"Both vaccines boost antibody titers very well. At week four, neutralizing antibody levels were comparable," Dr. Barouch said to CNN.
Researchers found, however, that after four weeks, the antibody levels started to drop in those that received the Pfizer vaccine, while the others who received a J&J booster only went up.
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The study did not include the Omicron variant, however, Barouch shared that their findings may be helpful in finding ways to combat the new strain of COVID-19.
"For variants such as Omicron that might partially evade antibody responses, CD8 T cell responses may be particularly relevant for protection," Barouch said. "We think they're relevant in general, but they may become particularly relevant if a variant emerges that can largely escape from antibodies."
The findings from Barouch and his team have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal but have been posted online in the meantime.
