US Surgeon General suggests those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will need a booster dose

(CNN Health) – US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said on CNN’s State of the Union show on Sunday: “We believe the beneficiaries of Johnson & Johnson will likely need a booster dose, but we are awaiting data from the company. . “About a second dose.

Murthy told CNN presenter Brianna Keeler that the FDA needed more data “to fully assess the safety and effectiveness of this dose.”

Murthy added that there are ongoing studies evaluating the results of mixing one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine with the next dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Johnson & Johnson told CNN on Tuesday that the company is collecting additional data to see if boosters are needed.

“Once these studies are completed, we will have more recommendations for Johnson & Johnson recipients on when to have a booster dose and which injections they should receive,” Murthy said.

According to the latest CDC data, 14 million Americans have received a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

On Wednesday, the U.S. administration announced plans to offer booster doses to all fully vaccinated U.S. adults starting the week of September 20, subject to U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance.

Americans 18 years of age or older will get a booster dose eight months after their second injection of Moderna or Pfizer.

The Pfizer vaccine is expected to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration earlier this week.

Currently, immunocompromised people who have not responded to two full doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are entitled to an additional dose.

In early July, researchers at Johnson & Johnson reported that the vaccine confers immunity lasting at least eight months and possibly longer, and that the vaccine appears to provide adequate protection against the delta variant. At the time, the company said that a second or booster dose of its vaccine would not be needed.