The United States has approved a new booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines

New Delhi: For eligible individuals, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of third doses of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines against the novel COVID-19. In addition, the FDA approved “mix and match” booster doses for currently approved COVID-19 vaccines.

“A single booster dose of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to individuals 18 years of age and older at least 2 months after completion of the single-dose primary regimen.” “According to a press release issued by the FDA.

The FDA added, “the use of each of the available COVID-19 vaccines as a heterologous (or “mix and match”) booster dose among eligible individuals following completion of primary vaccination with a different available COVID-19 vaccine.”

The agency authorised the use of a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after completion of the primary shots to people 65 years of age and older, 18 through 64 years of age at high risk of severe Covid-19, and 18 through 64 years of age with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 on Wednesday (October 20, 2021), according to Xinhua news agency.

As for the Johnson & Johnson booster dose, the FDA authorised the use of a single booster dose at least 2 months after completion of the single-dose primary regimen to individuals 18 years of age and older.

A single booster dose of any of the available COVID-19 vaccines may be administered as a “mix and match” booster dose following completion of primary vaccination with a different available Covid-19 vaccine, according to the FDA.

For instance, a person who got a Johnson & Johnson vaccine could receive one from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech as a booster.

“The available data suggest waning immunity in some populations who are fully vaccinated,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock in a statement.

“The availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against Covid-19 disease.”

It may be noted that the decision came after an FDA advisory committee voted last week to recommend authorizing Moderna and Johnson & Johnson`s Covid-19 booster doses.

Earlier in September, the agency approved the first booster shots for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, allowing a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be administered at least 6 months after completion of the primary series to individuals 65 years of age and older, as well as individuals 18 to 64 years of age who have frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

A recent study funded by the US National Institutes of Health found no safety concerns when using different vaccines as a booster.

The study discovered that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced higher antibody levels after receiving booster shots from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, as opposed to Johnson & Johnson boosters.

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