- CDC director endorsed Pfizer booster for select populations Sept. 24
- Immunocompromised people eligible for third dose of Pfizer or Moderna
- FDA to meet Oct. 14–15 to discuss Moderna, Johnson & Johnson boosters
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director last month endorsed a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for people 65 and older, or at high risk of severe infection. Dr. Rochelle Walensky made the call Sept. 24, on the heels of a two-day CDC advisory committee meeting and emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Booster shots for the Moderna vaccine and single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine weren’t up for consideration.
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Will there be Moderna or Johnson & Johnson boosters?
Moderna and J&J recipients likely will need a booster shot, but there isn’t enough data on their safety and effectiveness just yet, according to the CDC.
The manufacturers have conducted clinical studies they claim are promising.
Moderna’s booster, given to participants six months after their second dose, demonstrated increased protection against the virus — particularly among people 65 and older.
“We remain committed to staying ahead of the virus and following the evolving epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement Sept. 1. “We will continue to generate data and transparently share to support governments and regulators as they make evidence-based decisions regarding future vaccination strategies.”
Moderna is seeking booster authorization at a half dose containing 50 micrograms of mRNA. Each of the first two doses has 100 micrograms. By comparison, the three Pfizer doses all contain 30 micrograms. The J&J vaccine does not use mRNA.
In J&J’s clinical research, people given a second shot six months after their first showed a 12-fold increase in antibodies over four weeks.
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“A single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that is easy to use, distribute and administer … is crucial to vaccinating the global population,” J&J Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels said in a statement Sept. 21. “We now have generated evidence that a booster shot further increases protection against COVID-19 and is expected to extend the duration of protection significantly.”
The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet Oct. 14 to discuss the possibility of authorizing Moderna booster doses for people 18 and older. It will do the same for the J&J vaccine Oct. 15.
Immunocompromised may get third Moderna dose now
The only Moderna recipients currently eligible for a third dose are those who, in the CDC’s words, are moderate to severely immunocompromised. Such conditions include:
- Organ transplant
- Primary immunodeficiency
- Active cancer treatment
- Untreated or advanced HIV
- Stem cell transplant within last two years
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids.
Consult your doctor if you are unsure you qualify.
Whether they completed the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series, people with compromised immune systems may receive a third dose at least 28 days after their second, the CDC ruled in August. Immunocompromised J&J recipients are not eligible for a second dose.
The general population should not mix and match manufacturers on the third dose — the FDA plans to review the practice Oct. 15. Immunocompromised patients may receive a third dose manufactured by a different company than their first two, the CDC said, but only if no other option is available.
Which Pfizer recipients can get a booster shot now?
The CDC has endorsed booster shots among Pfizer recipients in these populations:
- Should receive booster
- People 65 and older
- Residents of long-term care facilities
- People 50-64 with underlying medical conditions
- May receive booster
- People 18-49 with underlying medical conditions
- People 18-64 “who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting.”
Those eligible must have had their second dose at least six months ago.
Over 101.8 million people in the U.S. have completed the two-dose Pfizer series, CDC records show. Over 5.2 million have received a third dose, whether as a booster or because they are immunocompromised.
What if I’m not vaccinated at all?
While booster shots are important for vulnerable populations whose vaccine-induced immunity may be waning, medical and public health experts agree the key to curbing COVID-19 is for everyone 12 and older to get vaccinated.
“Public health is about prevention,” Perry Brown, an epidemiologist at the Florida A&M University Institute of Public Health, told the USA TODAY Network in September. “Even if we give boosters to everyone who’s been vaccinated, we’ll still have a raging epidemic.”
Over 13.9 million New York residents had received at least one dose through Oct. 5.
The Pfizer vaccine, marketed as Comirnaty, is fully FDA-approved for people 16 and older. It’s available to children 12 through 15 under emergency use authorization. The FDA will meet Oct. 26 to review Pfizer’s clinical trial data in children 5 through 11.
Adults 18 and older may receive the Moderna or J&J vaccine under EUA.
All three vaccines are free and health insurance is not required. Visit covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov and click “Make an Appointment” to find immunization opportunities near you.
Despite the FDA and CDC’s ongoing evaluations of booster shots in various populations, “the priority [is] convincing the unvaccinated to become vaccinated,” Brown said.
