Booster Shot of Moderna and Mixing of Brands Approved
In an effort to assist those vulnerable to the Coronavirus, an FDA panel has recommended a booster shot for those eligible, who have received their shot months or more ago. Voting unanimously, the panel of advisors said seniors, the immunocompromised, and those whose living or working situations put them at higher risk for contracting COVID-19 should consider getting the lower, half dose shot of the Moderna vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control made a similar decision on Thursday, with Moderna stating in a press release later that day they “recommend the use of a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the 50 microgram dose level” for the aforementioned groups.
In the same release, Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bancel said “Since we began this journey in January of 2020, our goal has been to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19. The ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendation is another step forward in our quest to address this devastating pandemic with a vaccine.” Moderna also estimated a possible 1 billion doses of the booster could be available for distribution in 2022 as a result of this approval.
This comes after booster shots for the Pfizer vaccine were approved in September, leading many who received that vaccine to also get their boosters.
Similarly, in order to ease getting the booster, the FDA has also announced also authorized the heterologous use of any vaccine approved by the agency, meaning one could get a Moderna shot if they had gotten a Pfizer six months after their initial vaccination, or either a Moderna or Pfizer booster dose could be given to a Johnson and Johnson patient at least 2 months after their initial vaccination.
Stating in a press release to accompany the announcement , Janet Woodcock, Acting Commissioner of the FDA said, “As the pandemic continues to impact the country, science has shown that vaccination continues to be the safest and most effective way to prevent COVID-19, including the most serious consequences of the disease, such as hospitalization and death. The available data suggest waning immunity in some populations who are fully vaccinated. The availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against COVID-19 disease.”
With 78% of adults having received at least one dose of the vaccine as of the beginning of October, as many as 50 million still remain fully unvaccinated.
