Booster shots for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are on the way, paving the way for Pfizer patients to get that extra jab to help with any waning immunity. But questions still remain about when recipients of the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will get their booster shots.
Now, Dr. Anthony Fauci has an answer for when those shots might come. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the data from the booster shots from J&J and Moderna might be a few weeks away.
- “The actual data that we’ll get (on) that third shot for the Moderna and second shot for the J&J is literally a couple to a few weeks away,” he said. “We’re working on that right now to get the data to the FDA, so they can examine it and make a determination about the boosters for those people.”
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration said people who are over 65 years old can get a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, as long as they received the first two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
- Those who are at severe risk of COVID-19 can get the booster shot, too. Both groups have to wait six months after their first two doses, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
- “This pandemic is dynamic and evolving, with new data about vaccine safety and effectiveness becoming available every day,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner, said in a statement. “As we learn more about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to evaluate the rapidly changing science and keep the public informed.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that booster shots should be offered to residents at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, as well as those 50-64 years old with underlying conditions.
- The boosters should also go to those who are 18-49 years old who have conditions, too, “based on their individual benefits and risks,” the CDC said in a statement.
Of course, all of this applies to those who have received the first two doses of the Pfizer vaccine so far. Fauci assured Moderna and J&J patients that they will not be forgotten in the drive to bring more booster shots to those who need them.
- “We are definitely paying strong attention to both the J & J people and those who received a Moderna,” Fauci said. “They’re not being left behind by any means.”