PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Johnson & Johnson has asked federal regulators to allow booster shots of its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine to boost its efficacy against infection.
New Jersey-based J&J says it has submitted a request to the FDA to authorize boosters for anyone who already got the single-shot vaccine. The company submitted data for different intervals of time, from two to six months, between when the intial dose is given and when the booster is given. But they are making no formal recommendation. That will be up to federal regulators.
Also to be decided by advisory panels with the FDA and the CDC: who will be recommended to get the booster.
This comes after the FDA last month authorized Pfizer booster shots for Americans ages 65 and up, those with underlying health conditions, and those who work in high-risk settings. Federal regulators, again, will go over this data for proposed Moderna and J&J boosters, as well, when they meet on the Oct. 14 and 25. And there is the potential that boosters for those vaccines could go out later this month.
J&J says its vaccine is still 81% effective at preventing hospitalizations in the U.S. for at least five months after vaccination. And a booster, they say, would bump the efficacy as high as 94%.
According to the CDC, about 15 million Americans have gotten the J&J shot.