Buffalo, NY (WBEN) In a highly anticipated announcement Wednesday, The CDC confirmed its plans to dispense COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans who received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. Additional research and work needs to be completed before the same clearance can be given to those who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
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Dr. John Sellick with Kaleida Health, the VA and UB Jacobs School of Medicine says the only reason the CDC hasn't decided on Johnson and Johnson yet is there's not enough data.
"I think everyone is hopeful that over the course of the next few weeks we will data on the J&J and we expect another dose or perhaps another format, but that will be forthcoming," says Sellick. Sellick believes that could come in a couple of weeks.
Sellick says the CDC has a seven-hour meeting scheduled on Tuesday and anticipates discussion on the mRNA and J&J vaccines.
"Even before the decision about boosters for the mRNA vaccines, I think most of us had the feeling it was going to be heading that with the J&J vaccine," says Sellick. "When you look at the overall levels of efficacy, a single dose of J&J was better than a single dose of the mRNA vaccine, but the second dose of mRNA puts it ahead of J&J. While J&J has held up pretty well with regard to preventing deaths, the rate of more severe disease is a bit higher."
The plan, as outlined by the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top health authorities, calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The doses could begin the week of Sept. 20.