A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel Thursday unanimously recommended that half-dose booster shots of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine should be given to some Americans, including people age 65 and older, those with health problems or with jobs that put them at increased risk of infection. These are the same guidelines in place for the already-authorized Pfizer booster. The FDA panel will meet again Friday to discuss a booster of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The FDA decision comes as a new study from the National Institutes of Health finds a dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is a better booster for the 15 million Americans who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The final decision on whether to authorize Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters will be made by federal health regulators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA in coming weeks.
For insight, we turn to Montclair State University epidemiologist and professor, Dr. Stephanie Silvera.
