[ad_1]
In a major victory for the Biden administration, a scientific advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday approved supportive shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines for tens of millions of Americans.
The decision comes after booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were approved by an agency last month. CDC’s director, Dr. If, as expected, Rochelle Walensky approves of the latest advice, Americans could seek a supporting shot as early as Friday.
His endorsement will bring the country even closer to fulfilling President Biden’s promise to offer boosters to all adults in August. The pandemic is currently receding in most parts of the country, but about 75,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each day and about 1,500 people die from the disease.
The remark angered many experts, including advisers to the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC, who said scientists have yet to determine whether boosters are really necessary.
Studies have shown vaccines to be very effective against severe illness and death, but their effectiveness against milder infections may have declined, especially as the Delta variant spread across the country this summer.
The purpose of vaccines is not to prevent infection but to prevent diseases severe enough to warrant medical attention, said Dr. Wilbur Chen said during the negotiations on Thursday.
Dr. “It may be too much to ask for a primary series or booster vaccine to prevent any kind of infection,” Chen said.
The CDC’s advisors last month tried to reduce the number of Americans who would be eligible for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and as the FDA noted, research does not support supplements for people whose jobs have exposed them to the coronavirus.
But in a rather unusual move, Dr. Walensky overturned their decisionalign the agency’s recommendations with criteria set by the FDA
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots For the millions of people who receive the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, just like last month’s recipients of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. The FDA has also given the green light to individuals eligible for booster shots to take a dose of a different brand than the brand they originally received.
In practice, however, who does the shooting and when is largely dependent on the CDC’s final guidance. While the agency’s recommendations do not bind state and local officials, they have a major impact in the medical community.
On Thursday, members of the CDC’s panel supposedly mix and match strategy, saying that people who have been fully vaccinated with one company’s vaccine should be allowed to receive a different vaccine for booster shots.
Limited evidence strongly suggests that booster doses of either of the two mRNA vaccines (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) raise antibody levels more effectively than a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The committee recommended that recipients of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine receive a booster vaccine at least two months after their first dose.
Among Americans originally vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine, adults over 65 years of age, adults 50 to 65 years of age with certain medical conditions, and those living in long-term care settings should receive a single booster dose six months or longer after the second dose. committee decided.
For adults aged 18 to 49 with certain medical conditions and adults whose work exposes them to the virus regularly, the panel chose softer language and said they can choose to seek a boost after considering their individual risk.
Experts stressed that people who have received two doses of mRNA vaccine or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson should still consider themselves fully vaccinated. Federal health officials said they will continue to investigate whether those with compromised immune systems and those who have already received a third dose of the vaccine should continue to receive a fourth dose.
Some counselors were concerned that young, healthy Americans who don’t need a booster might still choose to get one. Side effects are rare, but may outweigh the potential benefits of booster doses in younger Americans, the scientists said.
Infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, Dr. “Those who are not at high risk should be really careful about taking this dose,” said Helen Talbot.
The committee’s final votes contrast sharply with discussions earlier in the day. The panel heard that in adults under 65, even those with chronic conditions, the Moderna vaccine remains highly protective against serious illness, showing only a small, if any, decline in effectiveness over time.
What to Know About Covid-19 Booster Shots
The FDA has allowed booster shots for millions of buyers. Pfizer-BioNTech, modern and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna recipients who qualify for support include people aged 65 and over, and young adults at high risk of serious Covid-19 because of medical conditions or where they work. Eligible Pfizer and Moderna recipients can receive a boost for at least six months after their second dose. All Johnson & Johnson recipients will be eligible for a second shoot at least two months after the first.
Yeah. The FDA has updated its mandate to allow medical providers to empower people with a different vaccine than the one they originally received. “Mix and Match.” You can get a booster for any other vaccine, whether you’ve received Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer-BioNTech. The regulators did not recommend any vaccine over the other as a booster. They also remained silent on whether it would be preferable to stick to the same vaccine whenever possible.
The CDC said conditions that qualify a person for a booster shot include: hypertension and heart disease; diabetes or obesity; cancer or blood diseases; weakened immune system; chronic lung, kidney, or liver disease; dementia and some disabilities. Pregnant women and current and former smokers are also eligible.
The FDA has allowed boosters for workers whose jobs put them at risk of exposure to potentially infectious humans. The CDC says the group includes: emergency health workers; education workers; food and agricultural workers; manufacturing workers; correction workers; US Postal Service employees; public transport workers; grocery workers.
Yeah. The CDC says the Covid vaccine can be administered regardless of the timing of other vaccines, and many pharmacy sites allow people to schedule a flu shot at the same time as a booster dose.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine showed less efficacy than the Moderna vaccine overall, but data were too limited to determine whether there would be a decline over time.
However, some consultants who have already given permission to the Pfizer-BioNTech booster added in interviews that they felt compelled to do the same for the other two vaccines, adding that it was only fair for people who had received those vaccines.
More than 11 million people have chosen to get an additional shot so far, and there are close to three million people with weakened immune systems who have been approved to receive a third dose to support their immune response. Only 6 percent of fully vaccinated people and about 15 percent of adults over 65 have received a booster dose so far.
Moderna’s buff hit will not be the same as her first hit. The dose will be 50 micrograms, which is half the dose given in the first rounds of immunization. Scientists from Moderna presented data showing that the smaller dose is enough to activate the immune system.
However, the smaller dose may now need to be given from the same vials used for the initial immunization. Some committee members noted that this could increase the risk of contamination and incorrect dosing. (Moderna is testing bottles that deliver smaller volumes of the vaccine to alleviate this problem, according to a former government official.)
CDC scientists said at the meeting that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are generally safe, with the exception of rare and mostly mild heart problems in young men. The risk of a condition called myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle, is higher after the second shot of an mRNA vaccine and is highest in men aged 18 to 24 years.
In those under 20, the condition can affect more than 100 men per million vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine. Studies have shown that there is an increased risk of heart problems. much higher after a Covid-19 bout.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine carries a small risk of blood clots in young women. Representatives of the company said they estimated the rate of blood clots at 15.1 cases per million after the first dose and 1.9 cases per million after the second dose.
Some panelists said they were concerned about the risk of blood clots in young women receiving the second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the risk of myocarditis in young men after the third dose of mRNA vaccine.
Dr. Perhaps young women should be referred to mRNA vaccines and younger men to Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Talbot said.
“We are in a different place in the pandemic than before,” he said. The opportunities to mix and match vaccines are “priceless”.
[ad_2]
Source link