The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Advisers to agency also endorse so-called mix-and-match strategy.
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday unanimously recommended booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines for tens of millions of Americans, despite evidence that the vaccines remain highly protective against serious illness and death in most people under 65.
What happened
The committee advised that people who have been immunized with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should receive a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine two months or longer after the first dose.
Among Americans initially immunized with the Moderna or Pfizer-biontech vaccines, adults over 65, adults aged 50 years to 65 years with certain medical conditions, and those who reside in longterm care settings should receive a single booster dose six months or longer after the second dose, the committee said.
For adults aged 18 to 49 years with certain medical conditions, and adults whose jobs regularly expose them to the virus, the committee members opted for softer language, saying they may choose to get a booster after considering their individual risks.
The panel also endorsed the so-called mix-and-match strategy — whether people fully immunized with one company’s vaccine should be allowed to switch to a different one for their booster. Limited evidence strongly suggests that booster doses of one of the two MRNA vaccines — Moderna or Pfizer-biontech — more effectively raise antibody levels
than a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the committee noted.
What it means
The experts emphasized that people who have received two MRNA vaccine doses or a single Johnson & Johnson vaccine should still consider themselves fully vaccinated. Federal health officials said they would continue to study whether those who have weak immune systems and have already received a third dose of a vaccine should go on to get a fourth dose.
Someadvisers were concerned that young and healthy Americans who don’t need a booster might choose to get one anyway. “Those that are not at high risk should really be thoughtful about getting that dose,” said Dr. Helen Talbot, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.
The final votes aligned with the Food and Drug Administration’s authorizations on the vaccines but contrasted sharply with discussions earlier in the day. The panel heard that in adults under 65, even
those with chronic conditions, the Moderna vaccine remained highly protective against severe illness and showed only a small decline in effectiveness over time, if any at all.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine showed less efficacy than the Moderna vaccine overall, but the data was too limited to determine whether there might be a decline over time.
On Wednesday, the FDA authorized boosters for millions of people who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, just as it did for recipients of Pfizer-biontech shots last month. The FDA also gave the go-ahead for people eligible for boosters to get an extra dose of a different brand from the one they first received.
What’s next
The recommendations now go to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, for her approval, after which they become the agency’s official clinical advice to public health officials and health care providers nationwide.