Mixing booster vaccines approved for Moderna, Johnson & Johnson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
More people in Mid-Missouri are now eligible to get a booster dose after the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
A local Columbia hospital and the Columbia/Boone County Health Department say they have enough adult booster shot supplies to go around.
Experts say there is more than enough supply in Mid-Missouri for the booster doses, with the state ordering 31,830 doses this past week.
People are hopeful more shots will get into arms now that more people are eligible for boosters, a process made more manageable now that health officials approve mixing the shots.
Dr. Laura Morris, a family physician with MU Health Care, said she is confident in the recently approved Johnson & Johnson booster but recommends people with a J&J vaccine follow up with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.
"Getting a dose of an mRNA vaccine following the Johnson & Johnson primary shot and those patients do have a stronger immune response with that mix and match approach," Morris said.
Morris said she recommends people with the primary Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine receive a booster of some sort.
"All patients with Johnson & Johnson benefit from getting a second dose of some kind of vaccine," Morris said.
For individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are recommended for those 18 and older and vaccinated two or more months prior.
For individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot six months or more after their initial series and are considered at risk.
