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On Thursday, patients who have already received the single-injection J&J COVID-19 vaccine could request a dose of mRNA vaccine through the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFGH). But again: the blow, in itself, is not exactly a “booster”, in itself.
All of the current COVID-19 vaccines are incredibly effective at alleviating infections and severe disease expressions. (They too remain our best bet for achieving universal herd immunity – a milestone, according to many epidemiologists, offers our best chance of winning the war against the Deal variant.) But when ZSFGH announced those who received the J&J vaccine , which was developed using more traditional vaccine preparations, could get an extra dose of mRNA, confusion arose.
Much of that head scratching was around the fact that these inoculations wouldn’t be booster shots, but rather additional dose.
“There has been some publicity about an accommodation being made by the health department,” San Francisco Department of Public Health director Dr. Grant Colfax said at a recent press conference, according to KRON4. “There hasn’t been a change in our policy, but if people talk to their health care provider and say, ‘I would really like to get an mRNA injection in addition to the Johnson and Johnson injection that I ‘have received’, we will adapt this. “
And there is a valid reason for wanting an extra dose of mRNA (this is what those inoculations given to SFGH will be; they are not newly developed vaccine “boosters”). Several reports show that the J&J vaccine may not be as effective in preventing Delta variant infections as the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA-based vaccines. Additionally: There is growing evidence that giving patients who have previously been treated with a J&J vaccine can dramatically improve their immunity against not only the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, but others as well. variants.
“We are coming to terms with this because we have heard from the community that people are worried and asking,” Colfax said before adding some clarification to previous statements made by the health department. “We wanted to be responsive and respond to what people ask for in this regard. But this is not a change in policy. We are not recommending and promoting it as a way for people to become more protected. “
(This latest stance on not pushing those extra doses could be an attempt to align with the World Health Organization [WHO] who recently spoke out against these ‘boosters’, to ensure that the unvaccinated have a chance to get vaccinated first.)
To make sure those looking for those doses are as informed as possible, SFDPH says those who have received the J&J vaccine and are looking for an additional injection should see a doctor or their health care provider first.
San Francisco’s most recent estimates show that 70% of the city’s eligible residents have completed a full set of COVID-19 vaccines; at least 76% of San Franciscans who can receive a COVID-19 inoculation have received a dose of the vaccine.
Nonetheless: don’t forget to hide inside public spaces in the middle of this fourth wave to help lower its crest.
Related: Pandemic Updates: SF Testing Positivity Rate Hits 15-Month High, Parties And Shows Begin To Cancel Each Other Out Of Caution
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Image: Getty Images / Ridofranz
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