HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — COVID-19 booster shots have sparked conversations about whether people can mix doses or not.
The Pfizer booster shot has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For now, those eligible for the booster shot include people 65 years and older, people 18 years and older who live in long-term care settings, who have underlying medical conditions, and those that work and live in high-risk settings.
As Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) also seek FDA approval for booster shots, UAB Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic Director Dr. Paul Goepfert gave some insight into common questions.
In order to receive any of these booster doses, you must wait for a certain period of time after your first primary dose(s).
For instance, it is recommended that those who got the Moderna vaccine to wait at least six months before getting a Moderna booster.
"The other thing is, in this case, unlike the Pfizer vaccine, they're recommending it at half dose," said Goepfert.
When it comes to the J&J booster, the waiting period is much shorter.
Goepfert said that people who received the first J&J single dose only have to wait 2 months to get a booster.
From the Johnson & Johnson website: the largest real-world evidence study for a COVID-19 vaccine reported to date in the U.S. demonstrated stable vaccine effectiveness of 79 percent (CI, 77%-80%) for COVID-19-related infections and 81 percent (CI, 79%-84%) for COVID-19-related hospitalizations.
This second J&J dose will up the level of protection by over 20%.
"Both of those vaccines, almost a year ago now, showed 94% protection against symptomatic COVID and when J&J gives two doses, you again get a similar 94% protection against symptomatic COVID," said Goepfert. "And so I think the advisory panel unanimously decided that people who've just gotten a single J&J vaccine, they need to get another vaccine to really bring up the protection."
As for mixing the different kinds of doses, as of right now, there is just not enough information to recommend it. So, it is recommended to stick with the same kind of shot you chose for your primary dosage.
"We're going to get much more information in the coming months and I think that may be partly why the FDA didn't make any formal recommendations on the mix and match strategy," said Goepfert.