COVID-19 | FDA Experts Recommend Third Dose of Moderna Vaccine

A group of experts recommended on Thursday a third injection of the vaccine against the COVID-19 of Moderna in the United States for certain populations, one month after making the same decision regarding the immunizer from Pfizer.

The opinion of this advisory committee of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – made up of researchers, epidemiologists and specialists in infectious diseases – is not binding, but

After a day of debate, the experts agreed to authorize the administration of a booster dose of Moderna to three categories of people: those who are at high risk of developing a serious form of the disease, as well as those whose work or situation involves a “frequent” exposure to the virus.

The latter category includes supermarket workers, healthcare workers, prisoners, and the homeless.

The same definitions were taken for the

This booster can be given starting six months after the second injection of Moderna vaccine. The dose is 50 micrograms, half of what the first two injections contain.

In her presentation to the committee, a representative from Moderna argued that the booster dose would help combat the Delta variant at a time when the vaccine is becoming less and less effective against infections and mild cases of the disease, although

The committee is due to meet again on Friday, this time to advise the FDA on the advisability of a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.

The results of a study published this week analyzing the possibility of using a different vaccine for the booster dose than the initial series of injections will also be discussed.

The study suggests that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine might benefit from receiving a booster dose of a vaccine from a different technology, such as messenger RNA.

Nearly 15 million Americans have received a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and nearly 70 million are fully vaccinated with Moderna.

If the FDA officially authorizes the booster doses of both vaccines, a committee of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will have to, at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

The CDC will then publish specific recommendations for these injections, which will be used by the healthcare professionals who administer them.

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