CDC Approves Moderna And J&J Covid Vaccine Boosters, Allowing People To Mix-and-Match Shots

By CNBC
Posted on 10/21/21 | News Source: CNBC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday cleared booster shots of Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccines, giving people the freedom to mix and match any of the three vaccines approved for use in the U.S., the agency said in a statement.

An influential Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee earlier Thursday unanimously endorsed boosters of Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccines.

The agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the Moderna booster for elderly people and at-risk adults six months after they complete their primary series of shots, bringing it in line with the distribution plan for Pfizer and BioNTech's booster. It also endorsed J&J boosters for everyone 18 and older who received the initial shot at least two months ago.

The panel didn't specify which vaccine should be used as a booster, leaving it up to doctors to decide whether to mix and match the companies' doses to provide the best protection for patients.

"The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe – as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement that embraced the committee's recommendations. "And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating Delta variant."

More than 39 million Moderna recipients and nearly 13 million J&J recipients may be eligible for a booster dose as early as Friday, according to a slide presented by the CDC during the meeting.

Booster shots have been a contentious topic for scientists — in and outside the government — especially as many people in the U.S. and other parts of the world have yet to receive even one dose of a vaccine. The World Health Organization has pleaded with wealthy countries to hold off on distributing boosters, and some scientists say they aren't convinced most Americans need them right now.