The US National Institutes of Health have reported results from a study where subjects receiving Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine as a first dose developed robust immune response when boosted with Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna’s vaccines, Reuters reported. The study enrolled more than 450 adult subjects, who were already vaccinated with initial doses of Pfizer, Moderna or J&J’s vaccines. The study found that mixing and matching of booster doses of these vaccines was safe in the subjects.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology have reported that the Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrated an efficacy of 70% against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in a study. The efficacy was observed during the first three months following vaccination, with the data collected in July 2021 in Moscow. In subjects aged below 60 years, the vaccine showed 75% effectiveness. Standalone use of the vaccine showed “much higher efficacy” against severe Covid-19 and hospitalisations, RDIF said in a release, but no specific efficacy rate was cited.

Panama has granted approval to a third dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for individuals who are at increased risk, including healthcare personnel, nursing home residents, bedridden patients, and those aged over 55 years. The booster dose will be administered to individuals who have taken their second dose of the vaccine at least six months previously, Reuters reported. As well as those at risk of occupational exposure, the additional dose is intended for people at increased risk of developing viral complications.