In its study, the CDC found 95% of those who got Moderna for the first round of vaccine shots chose Moderna for the booster dose. What about side effects of the Moderna COVID booster shot?Īccording to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who got the Moderna booster dose reported fewer reactions than they did after the second dose of the vaccine. Adults are encouraged to get whatever booster dose is available to them, even if that means mixing and matching vaccine boosters (more below), in other words, getting a different booster shot than their original vaccination. Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster dose after two months. They qualify if it's been at least six months since they've received their second dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. 19, all US adults - those age 18 and older - are eligible to get a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. All adults are now eligible for the Moderna booster doseĪs of Nov. Burton said if Moderna needs to make a new vaccine modified for the variant, it could be available early in 2022. And thirdly, the company is working on an omicron-specific booster vaccine.
Secondly, it's testing a COVID-19 vaccine that could protect against several mutated strains of the coronavirus. The Moderna booster authorized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a 50-microgram dose, half of what the CDC authorized for the first two shots of the Moderna vaccine. "We should know in a couple of weeks from laboratory experiments."īurton said Moderna has a three-part strategy to be ready for the mutated virus: Firstly, it's testing a 100-microgram dose of its booster to see if it provides better protection against the omicron variant. "Will we be able to neutralize it and control it and contain it with the current vaccines?" Burton asked about Moderna's response to the variant. Moderna Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton told the BBC the drug-maker is researching the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine against the new variant discovered in South Africa late last week.
Scientists worry the new variant, named omicron, could spread more quickly than the now-dominant delta variant because of the number of mutations the new strain has. What is Moderna doing with its COVID vaccine and booster for the new COVID-19 variant? For more details, here's the latest on COVID-19 vaccines for kids, what to do if you lost your vaccination card, the difference between a booster and a third dose, and what to know about breakthrough infections. Here's what you need to know about the Moderna booster, including its side effects. With the federal vaccine mandates, the Biden administration aims to counter the surge and put pressure on anyone who hasn't been vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be highly effective in preventing hospitalization, and those who are unvaccinated are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized if infected. Authorization for the Moderna booster - along with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson booster shots and Pfizer vaccines for kids - comes at a time when the deadly and contagious delta variant has a lock on the US and as the new omicron mutation emerges. That goes for those fully vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, too, because you can now mix and match vaccines from approved drug-makers. If you're 18 years of age and older in the US, you now qualify for a Moderna booster shot.
The new COVID-19 variant is raising alarm bells around the world with fears that the mutated virus could lead to a new surge of infections, much like the delta variant did over the summer. The new COVID-19 variant was just identified in South Africa last week, and Moderna said it's exploring three paths to protect against the mutated virus that could include creating a COVID-19 vaccine tailored specifically for the new virus strain early in 2022, if needed. For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites.