News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Dr. Matthew
Harris to discuss COVID-19 boosters and the potential for mixing and matching
shots.
The Food and Drug Administration is planning to allow
Americans to receive a different COVID-19 vaccine as a booster than the one
they initially received, a move that could reduce the appeal of the Johnson
& Johnson vaccine and provide flexibility to doctors and other vaccinators.
An advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention will take up the booster issue on Thursday. The agency will then
issue its own recommendations. By the end of the week, tens of millions more
Americans could be eligible for extra shots.
The CDC says the people who are unvaccinated are 11 times
more likely to die from COVID-19 than the vaccinated. Vaccines are very
protective, but are not 100%.
Pfizer has proposed giving children one-third of the adult
dosage. Depending on what formulation Pfizer produces pediatric doses in, that
might require adding a different amount of diluent to each injection or using a
different vial or syringe. The company was expected to describe the method it
intended to use in its submission to the FDA.