As Additional mRNA Shots Roll Out, Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Recipients Told To Wait

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(CNN) — The calls and emails astir Covid-19 boosters person already started coming into Dr. William Schaffner’s aesculapian halfway successful Nashville, Tennessee.

It started past week erstwhile the US Food and Drug Administration and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended an further dose for definite immunocompromised radical who had been fixed the Moderna oregon Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.

Then, connected Monday, Biden medication officials said they are moving connected a program to urge much Americans get a booster astir 8 months aft being afloat vaccinated with the Pfizer oregon Moderna vaccines. The question volition beryllium addressed during a White House Covid-19 briefing connected Wednesday.

But astir 14 cardinal afloat vaccinated radical successful the United States didn’t get 1 of those mRNA vaccines. They got the single-dose changeable from Johnson & Johnson, and truthful far, they are not a portion of this booster conversation.

“Our J&J patients person not been overlooked oregon neglected. It’s conscionable the mode the information are coming in,” said Schaffner, a prof successful the Division of Infectious Diseases astatine Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

For J&J vaccine patients who are calling and emailing astir boosters, helium is telling them to wait.

“You can’t marque bully recommendations without the data,” helium said.

Last month, J&J researchers reported the vaccine provides immunity that lasts astatine slightest 8 months and perchance longer.

The J&J vaccine besides appears to supply capable extortion against the Delta variant, the predominant strain of the microorganism making radical sick successful the United States today. J&J said successful July that a 2nd oregon booster dose of its vaccine would not beryllium indispensable astatine that time.

However, a spokesperson from Johnson & Johnson told CNN connected Tuesday the institution is gathering further information to spot if booster shots are necessary.

“Ensuring semipermanent and durable extortion against hospitalization and decease are captious successful curbing the Covid-19 pandemic,” the institution said successful an email to CNN. “Johnson & Johnson continues to diligently make and measure grounds from ongoing trials arsenic good arsenic emerging real-world grounds arsenic it assesses the request for a booster of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine.”

Different vaccines, antithetic studies, antithetic timelines
Many vaccines request much than 1 changeable to supply afloat protection. Some, similar a tetanus shot, request an further boost each 10 years oregon truthful due to the fact that immunity wanes implicit time. Others, similar the flu shot, request to beryllium administered annually due to the fact that each flu play bring caller strains.

With Covid-19, scientists are inactive figuring retired however agelong extortion lasts and however the vaccines enactment against antithetic variants. All of that volition request to beryllium determined by much research.

For mRNA vaccines, much information is coming in. Pfizer said Monday that it has submitted archetypal information to enactment the usage of boosters to the FDA. Moderna said past week it’s inactive successful the process of submitting its data.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine works a small otherwise than the mRNA vaccines, which usage a newer exertion that delivers familial worldly straight into cells via fatty particles. J&J’s Janssen vaccine uses a viral vector, a communal acold microorganism that is genetically engineered to infect cells but won’t replicate and dispersed successful the body. It delivers familial instructions to the cells, past trains them to place and support against the coronavirus.

Johnson & Johnson has ever been connected a antithetic timeline, too. When Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were authorized successful December, J&J was inactive gathering data. It got its exigency usage authorization a mates of months later, successful February.

And portion there’s grounds immunocompromised radical whitethorn payment from a 3rd dose of an mRNA vaccine, it’s inactive not wide if immunocompromised radical who received the J&J vaccine would payment from getting different dose.

“We person been reviewing the subject and information connected a adjacent regular ground to measure whether oregon erstwhile boosters whitethorn beryllium needed,” the CDC said successful an email to CNN erstwhile asked astir boosters for the wide nationalist and for the immunocompromised connected Tuesday.

“As we person been saying, boosters would astir apt beryllium needed. We volition beryllium announcing much elaborate plans soon, truthful we’ll person much to stock then. This volition each beryllium done successful accordance with autarkic FDA and CDC reappraisal and recommendations.”

Mixing and matching vaccines
It’s besides not wide if radical who got J&J’s vaccine and who request a boost would payment much from an further J&J vaccine, oregon should person a antithetic vaccine type.

Currently, the CDC’s authoritative stance is that radical should instrumentality with the changeable they got initially. It says determination isn’t capable information to cognize if mixing and matching works and is safe.

In parts of Europe, though, doctors are mixing and matching the azygous dose AstraZeneca vaccine — which is akin to the J&J vaccine — with an mRNA vaccine.

In Germany, wellness officials recommended radical who got a archetypal dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine get an mRNA vaccine for their 2nd dose. Early studies showed the premix generated a robust immune response. In June, German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the mode and got the Moderna vaccine pursuing her archetypal dose of the AstraZeneca.

In the United States, astatine slightest 1 metropolis didn’t hold for information connected whether to boost the J&J vaccine.

People vaccinated with the J&J vaccine tin get a supplemental mRNA vaccine dose successful San Francisco, wherever Department of Public Health officials made an “accommodation” for those who person consulted with a doctor, the section said August 4.

While Schaffner is enthusiastically encouraging anyone who has not yet gotten a archetypal changeable to get 1 immediately, for patients who got the J&J vaccine and privation a booster, he’s counseling patience.

“At the moment, the lone happening we tin archer them is beryllium tight,” Schaffner said. “More accusation is connected the way.”

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