Both Johnson & Johnson and Moderna have released data showing their vaccines may be effective in protecting against the delta strain of the coronavirus.
Johnson & Johnson stated July 1 that its vaccine demonstrated "strong, persistent activity against the rapidly spreading delta variant and other highly prevalent SARS-CoV-2 viral variants."
The company also said data showed the immune response from the vaccine lasts for at least eight months.
"Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generates a strong neutralizing antibody response that does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time," Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, global head of research and development of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine team, said in a news release.
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine also performed well in a lab setting against the delta variant, the drugmaker said June 29. The shot produced neutralizing antibodies after two doses, though it didn't perform as well against certain versions of the beta variant. The data from that study hasn't been peer reviewed.
The delta variant made up about 25 percent of infections in the U.S. as of July 1, according to The Hill.