Moderna, J&J booster shots receive final approval from CDC

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave a green light to the booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Health officials also approved the mix and match of the vaccines.

The step allows millions of Americans to get choose from all three available COVID-19 vaccines — Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer– as their booster shots.

The final approval was given by Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director and head of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decision came just hours after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices backed the vaccines being used in the country.

In a statement released after the approval on Thursday, Walensky said, “These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19”, according to reports from the Washington Post.

Walensky added, “The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe — as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given. And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating delta variant.”

The health body’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted in support of the usage and mix-match of vaccines while taking booster shots with full consensus.

The latest move is expected to help millions in getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Health care workers who struggle to maintain an inventory of vaccines while now have boosted flexibility while administering the shots.

Moreover, those who have experienced side effects or are skeptical about one brand of the COVID-19 vaccine will now be able to choose, according to reports from the Washington Post.

The United States Food and Drug Administration had already authorised such an expansion of the nation’s booster campaign on Wednesday.