WASHINGTON (AP) – Millions more Americans will be able to get a COVID-19 booster and choose a different company vaccine for their next dose, federal health officials reported Thursday.
Certain people who received the Pfizer vaccine several months ago are already eligible for a booster, and now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that some of those who were vaccinated with Moderna or Johnson & Johnson are also eligible. In an even bigger change, the agency is allowing the flexibility of combining vaccines for the booster dose, regardless of which inoculation was received first.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already authorized the expansion of the booster enforcement campaign on Wednesday, and on Thursday it was also endorsed by a panel of CDC advisers. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky made the final decision on who will receive the additional doses.
“This is a different time from the pandemic,” because previously, supply problems meant that people had to get whatever vaccine was available, said CDC adviser Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University.
He said it is “priceless” to be able to choose a different vaccine for the booster in case, for example, someone is at risk of contracting an unusual side effect from a specific vaccine.
There are still restrictions on who is eligible for a booster and when. From the first six months after their last dose of Pfizer, the population is called to receive a booster if they are older than 65 years, residents of nursing homes, or are at least 50 years old and are at risk of disease serious for health problems. Boosters are also allowed to be given, albeit less urgently, to adults of any age at increased risk of infection, either due to health problems, or because of their employment or living conditions. This includes health workers, teachers, and people in prisons or homeless shelters.
The same requirements for boosters apply to those vaccinated with Moderna. Moderna’s booster will be half a dose compared to the original two injections.
For those vaccinated with J&J, a booster is recommended for everyone at least two months after receiving the single dose. This is because the J&J vaccine has not been as effective as Moderna and Pfizer’s two-shot options.
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The Associated Press Department of Health and Science 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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