Buffalo, NY (WBEN) A Buffalo area pharmacist tells WBEN with federal approval of mixing COVID booster shots, he fears there could be some confusion for pharmacists trying to offer shots to those who ask.
U.S. regulators on Wednesday signed off on extending COVID-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine and said anyone eligible for an extra dose can get a brand different from the one they received initially.
Chuck Barone of Ivy Lea Pharmacy says there's already been confusion about who's eligible. "There is mild confusion as far as Moderna booster is concerned. I know there was some media regarding the FDA recommending the Moderna have a booster dose. But we're waiting approval from the CDC to recommend it for the general population," says Barone prior to the FDA's announcement. "As far as the Pfizer booster, it's 18 and older, with anyone working in the health care field or has any kind of precondition would qualify," he explains.
Barone says he's been doing appointments for the J&J first dose and Moderna booster. "We've been doing about 5 to 10 a day," says Barone. He's also fielding calls about it. "We've been handling 10 to 15 calls a day. We're not seeing a huge demand or question base, but we are receiving some," says Barone.
Barone says pharmacists may have the most confusion with the mixing of boosters. "I think that's where we're going to get a little crazy as far as scheduling as far as confusion with patients whether which would be effective, do we want to mix and match," notes Barone. "I did read an article about the possibility of doing that to give our bodies a different immunity profile. I do think it's going to lead to a lot of confusion, especially from a pharmacy standpoint, trying to get the scheduling down pat, which one they want, so I think there will be snags moving forward."
The booster campaign began with extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine last month.
