Moderna, J&J boosters gain backing from CDC advisory panel

U.S. public-health advisers voted unanimously to recommended COVID-19 booster shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, clearing the way for a widespread campaign hoped to stave off a resurgence of the virus.

Boosters are becoming more widely available at a crucial time when the U.S. is still fighting the summer surge of infections driven by the highly contagious delta variant of COVID. Health officials are keen to protect those most vulnerable to the disease as the winter months approach, bringing the added threat of a potentially harsh flu season.

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While the unvaccinated account for the vast majority of the most seriously ill in the current outbreak, breakthrough infections among the vaccinated have fueled concerns that the shots’ efficacy wanes over time. Moderna and J&J both presented evidence at Thursday’s meeting that their boosters restore infection-fighting power.

The recommendation from CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices echoes the clearance granted to the boosters by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA authorized Moderna’s additional shot for people 65 and older along with other adults at high risk of severe COVID because of health conditions or work at least six months after their initial inoculation. The agency also cleared J&J boosters for people 18 and older who got the single-shot vaccine at least two months ago.

Several committee members made it clear they were voting for the recommendation in the interests of making a clear message to the public that wouldn’t conflict with the earlier recommendation for the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.

Many committee members also voiced support for mixing and matching of the three cleared boosters. Those who received J&J’s single dose vaccine must wait two months before taking any other booster, while those whose primary vaccination was an mRNA vaccine should wait at least six months before getting any additional shot, including J&J’s.

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Last time the CDC’s advisers met to discuss boosters, they determined these frontline workers may be at greater risk of infection, but not for developing severe COVID. While the advisers didn’t recommend boosters for this group, Walensky overruled them, broadening out the booster ruling to include those at risk because of their jobs.

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Using the standard vial for boosters “is a measure that we’re putting in place now given the current context of the delta surge and the need to make these booster doses available,” she said.

The FDA also said people who have been fully immunized and meet the criteria to get a booster can receive a supplemental dose made by a different manufacturer than the maker of their original shot.

Americans have been able to get an additional vaccine dose since Aug. 13, when regulators authorized an extra dose of messenger RNA vaccines for people with impaired immune systems. Since then, more than 11 million booster doses have been administered.

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