The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backed a plan on Thursday to allow Americans to get a COVID-19 booster shot — and mix-and-match the vaccine brands.
People who got injected with the Pfizer vaccine were already eligible for a booster, and the CDC now says many who got the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines can get an extra dose, too.
The action endorses the FDA expansion of boosters on Wednesday, a move which will get doses in the arms of millions more Americans.
CDC adviser Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University said it was “priceless” to be able to change up the vaccine for a booster, particularly in cases when someone might be at risk for a side effect from one of the vaccines.
“We’re at a different place in the pandemic than we were earlier” when supply constraints meant people had to take whatever shot they were offered, Talbot told the Associated Press.
The plan to expand booster access for certain populations was endorsed by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Thursday, following a recommendation by the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Even though boosters are now in the pipeline for all three vaccines approved for use in the US, there are still differing guidelines for those eligible depending on the initial doses they received.
People who got the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are eligible for boosters six months after their second dose if they are 65 and up, live in long-term care facilities or have high-risk medical conditions or jobs that put them at high risk of exposure to the virus.
All of those of any age who got the one-shot J&J vaccine should get the booster shot after two months, the CDC recommends. J&J was found to have a lower rate of vaccine efficiency than the other two-shot vaccines.
The CDC didn’t recommend switching to a different vaccine, but allowed for the possibility in an announcement Thursday.
“Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose,” the announcement said. “Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received and others, may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.”
With the expansion of the booster program, there remain 65 million people in the country who are not vaccinated.
With Post wires
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