COVID-19 booster shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are under review.
 |  | By Anisa Arsenault, Associated Editorial Director | | Good afternoon! If you're upping your sweater game this year like me, you might want to think about the "cold shoulder" look. None of my recent purchases leave the tops of my arms exposed—which is a regrettable error, considering all the vaccine news we have to share today.
Let's dive in. | | | Today's Top Story | | Make Way For More Boosters |  | Right now, only high-risk or older adults who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for a booster shot. But that could be changing soon.
Until an FDA advisory panel convened last week, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients were largely left out of the booster conversation. There just wasn't enough data. And while the panelists are still lamenting lack of data from the United States, they did unanimously recommend boosters from both manufacturers. But the reasons why are very different for each vaccine.
According to the panelists, because protection from the initial Moderna vaccine regimen is so strong, the need for a booster is less about preventing people from getting very sick or dying, and more about preventing mild-to-moderate breakthrough infections. As we're learning, even a mild case of COVID-19 can potentially lead to complications like long COVID or blood clots.
Panelists recommended that a half-dose (50 microgram) booster shot should be administered at least six months after primary vaccination. Eligible groups mirror those who currently qualify for Pfizer's booster shot: people over age 65, and those older than 18 who are at risk for serious illness or are likely to be exposed at work.
Johnson & Johnson is a different story. FDA panelists said because its effectiveness against hospitalization is so much lower to begin with (71%), a booster is essential for anyone who received J&J as soon as two months after their initial vaccine. In fact, the panelists suggested the single-shot J&J vaccine probably should have been a two-dose regimen in the first place.
At this point, the panelists' recommendations are just that—recommendations. The FDA still needs to sign off on Moderna and J&J booster shots. From there, the CDC will need to recommend them as well. | | Know More | | Wondering exactly how the vaccines stack up to one another? In a CDC study looking at COVID-19 hospitalizations, Moderna was 93% effective, Pfizer was 88% effective, and Johnson & Johnson was 71% effective. | | Feel Better | | So far, booster side effects don't seem much different than side effects from initial COVID-19 vaccine regimens. They largely include injection site pain, headache, fatigue, and muscle pain. However, Moderna booster recipients did report higher levels of swelling and tenderness. | | |  | | Most Americans have a favorable attitude toward COVID-19 booster shots, according to a Verywell survey. Four out of five vaccinated survey respondents said they would get a booster once it was publicly available and once they were eligible. Still, people are concerned about feeling unwell afterwards. Respondents are also leery of how many times they're going to have to get this shot. |  |  | | How Is the Pfizer Booster Rollout Going? | While there are still a lot of questions about who can and should get a COVID-19 booster shot, it's important to remember that some people are already receiving them. Recipients of the Pfizer two-dose regimen who are 65 and older or at high risk for COVID-19 due to a medical condition or their job have been booster eligible since late September, as long as they're at least six months past their second dose. And experts say these groups are embracing the prospect of boosters.
"The kind of hesitancy that we may have seen for people who were previously unvaccinated is not there for the boosters," says Shruti Gohil, MD, associate medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention at UCI Health. "I think mainly because these are people who have already successfully had the vaccine, and nothing happened to them, and they already know that they're safe." | | | | Make Your Next Vaccine Appointment Ultra Efficient | | If you're booster-eligible, or if you haven't gotten a COVID vaccine yet, consider signing up for a flu shot during the same appointment. Not only does the CDC say it's safe—the organization is encouraging it. A warning: Both arms will be sore. The current guidance says healthcare providers should administer the two shots in different arms. | | | | | |  | | Andrew Pavia, MD, a spokesperson at the Infectious Diseases Society of America, emphasizes that both flu shots and COVID shots are essential. |  | | We just don't know what the flu season will be like this year. You could be risking severe illness or death, especially if you get COVID-19 at the same time, so we really need people to get both vaccines. | |  |  | Andrew Pavia, MD
Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Utah Health
| | | Keep Reading | | | ■ | Where People Go to Bars to Drink Milk. BBC | | | | | ■ | Helping Caregivers Connect Through Tech. Lifewire | | | | | ■ | Vaccine Mix-Ups Are Rare—And There Are Systems in Place To Keep It That Way. CNN | | | | | | | |  |     | You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.
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