COVID boosters could arrive this week

While Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccine providers push through the early weeks of the booster rollout, the focus has fallen on federal regulators who could drastically expand the program with key votes in the coming days.

Currently limited to Pfizer-BioNTech boosters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s panel on immunization practices could open the door as early as Wednesday for booster shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, which would quickly scale up the number of eligible residents in Connecticut.

Approvals should not take long to implement as preparations have been underway for months to provide boosters for all three vaccines. If granted, doses could start going into arms as early as Friday, the state Department of Public Health said in a memo to providers Monday.

“The Connecticut Department of Public Health will continue to work with our federal partners, vaccine providers and other stakeholders to be sure we are ready to provide the Moderna and J&J boosters when these recommendations are finalized,” the department said in a statement.

Despite increased vaccination and early booster efforts, COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations have remained flat after slowly declining into last month. On Tuesday, the state reported a positivity rate of 2.87 percent for new COVID-19 tests, one of the highest in several weeks. Hospitalizations increased by a net of one patient for a total of 248 statewide.

Uptake for boosters thus far has been steady but the demand has not overwhelmed the supply, officials have said. Eligibility has been limited by federal regulators to those age 65 and older, along with people with certain medical conditions and those living or working in high-risk settings. The booster cannot be administered earlier than six months after the initial course of vaccines, regulators said.

While some of the groups eligible are hard to quantify, the state’s data showed Monday that about one-third of residents age 65 and older that completed an initial course of the Pfizer-BioNTech had received a booster or third shot.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended that both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters last week under identical eligibility criteria.

One small difference was that the FDA’s committee recommended that half the initial dose of Moderna be used for the booster.

“You may use existing vaccine that you have on hand, but it should be administered at a half-dose when used as a booster,” DPH told providers.

In a memo, DPH encouraged providers to watch the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, where votes are expected on both boosters from both the vaccine makers.

If either or both are approved, DPH said booster shots for Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines could start as soon as Friday. “However, this timeline is subject to change as more information is released,” DPH recently cautioned.

The New York Times reported this week the FDA is considering approving people to “mix and match” vaccines when they seek boosters. Citing sources, the New York Times reported that regulators are likely to suggest that using the same vaccine is prefered but offers vaccinators some discretion.

The anticipated increase in booster availability comes as Connecticut continues work to close the gap among those not yet vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, CDC data shows that nearly 90 percent of eligible residents in Connecticut have received the first dose and more than 80 percent are fully vaccinated.

While focus has been on the key vote from regulators on boosters, DPH has started to prepare providers for a potential emergency authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to get administered to children age 5 to 11. The FDA was expected to raise the matter next Tuesday.

Approval for this age group has been seen by officials and experts as key to preventing further spread of the virus. While doctors have said that children are often at a lower risk for serious symptoms, they carry the risk of catching the virus while in schools and spreading it to vulnerable family members.