On Thursday evening, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC} Director Rochelle P. Walensky, endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccines.
Clinics, doctors, and pharmacies in the United States can begin giving Mix-and-match COVID-19 booster shots out Friday after CDC’s go-ahead.
The announcement came just hours after the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee voted unanimously in favor of booster doses.
CDC’s advisory committee earlier recommended that Americans be allowed to choose mix and match COVID-19 booster shots among the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as a COVID-19 booster shot in line with the Food and Drug Administration’s authorizations issued Wednesday.
The committee said it could increase protection against the disease that is killing on average 1,093 Americans a day.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky called the recommendations an “example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19.”
For individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at 6 months or more after their initial series:
- 65 years and older
- Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
- Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
- Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings
For the nearly 15 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.
There are now booster recommendations for all three available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received and others, may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.
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