CORONAVIRUS
CDC: New booster guidance for all three authorized vaccines
Oct 22, 2021, 11:07 PM | Updated: 11:21 pm
MURRAY, Utah — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released recommendations for boosters for all three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the U.S.
For those who are fully vaccinated and plan to get a booster, it’s still a waiting game for most.
Many others can get their booster now.
“Our hospitals are completely full. Our ICUs are at max capacity. We’re still seeing a significant number of cases of COVID across our system,” said Dr. Eddie Stenehjem, an infectious disease physician with Intermountain Healthcare.
With COVID still spreading in Utah, the doctor said it’s time to plan your booster.
If you got your second shot of Moderna or Pfizer six months ago, you are ready for a booster if you are over 65, have a complicating medical condition, or if you are exposed to COVID-19 where you live or work.
With J&J, if you are two months past your original shot, you are already eligible for a booster if you are over 18.
“Think about a J&J booster as really the second shot in the series. We suspect that J&J will be a two-shot vaccine regimen, just like Pfizer and Moderna, and we really want people who had J&J initially to get that shot two months after their second shot.
CDC recommendations allow for mix and match dosing.
Stenehjem said that’s a convenience, but he’s not recommending strategic mixing until there is more data.
“So, if you had a Pfizer vaccine series and you are able to get a Pfizer booster, go ahead and do that,” the physician said. “Same thing with Moderna. Same thing with J&J.”
If you cannot find a match, it’s OK to mix.
The infectious diseases physician said there may be situations in which doctors recommend a different booster. For example, if the vaccine recipient had a bad reaction to the original vaccine.
“The vast majority of people in Utah, given the accessibility of the vaccine, should get a booster that matches their primary series,” Stenehjem said. “If you have any questions about what’s best for you, please reach out to your primary care provider.”
The Pfizer booster has been available for about a month.
According to the Utah Department of Health, as of Wednesday, more than 112,000 third doses of Pfizer vaccine had been administered.
Visit the state’s coronavirus website to plan your booster.
