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from: LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 21, 2021 / 10:38 AM CDT
Updated: 10/21/2021 / 11:21 AM CDT
FILE – This file photo, taken on Wednesday March 31, 2021, shows empty vials of Johnson & Johnson’s one-off COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination site in Uniondale, NY. On Thursday, October 21, 2021, advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are due to discuss who should receive extra doses of the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine – and the bigger question of getting a different brand of booster vaccine than that original vaccination. (AP photo / Mary Altaffer)
WASHINGTON (AP) – Influential government aides will decide Thursday how best to expand the country’s COVID-19 booster campaign, including whether and when it is okay to “mix and match brands for the extra dose.” to be agreed “.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisors are due to discuss who should receive additional doses of the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine – and the bigger issue of getting a different brand of booster than the original vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration approved both moves on Wednesday as part of a federal push to expand booster access to the U.S. public. But the CDC, led by its advisory board, offers the final blessing.
About two-thirds of Americans eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations are fully vaccinated, and several million received additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine after the FDA and CDC gave the go-ahead last month. While health officials are hoping boosters will prop up declining immunity to lighter coronavirus infections, all vaccines still offer strong protection from hospitalization and death – and getting the unvaccinated first to get vaccinated remains a priority.
“For most people, death from COVID-19 is preventable with a vaccine under most circumstances,” said CDC advisor Dr. Matthew Daley of Kaiser Permanente Colorado.
Thursday’s meeting promises tough decisions, as does the panel facing Pfizer’s boosters. Ultimately, these boosters were recommended for everyone aged 65 and over, nursing home residents, and younger adults at an increased risk of infection due to health problems, workplaces, or living conditions. This includes health workers, teachers, and people in prisons or homeless shelters.
The FDA approved Moderna’s half-dose boosters for the same groups, also six months after the last injection.
But for J & J’s single-shot vaccine, the FDA said all US recipients only have to wait two months after their primary vaccination. The agency said any adult who received the J&J injection should be eligible for a booster – a decision based on research showing that a single J&J dose was significantly less effective than one Double dose from Pfizer or Moderna.
As for the mix-and-match issue, the FDA opened the way for anyone eligible for a booster to get one of the three approved brands in the country for that extra dose. The FDA emphasized that getting every booster a given pharmacy or clinic offers is convenient, especially in nursing homes and other institutional settings where residents have received different syringes over time.
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The Associated Press Health & Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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