Third-party vaccination against coronavirus: FDA approves further booster vaccines

In the fight against the corona pandemic, the US FDA also approves the active ingredients from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson for third-party vaccinations. In addition, the vaccination protection can be refreshed with varying vaccines.

After the vaccine from the manufacturers BioNTech and Pfizer, the US drug authority FDA has now also approved the vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson for booster vaccinations against Covid-19.

Vaccinations still offer the “safest and most effective” protection against illness caused by the pathogen, which can be severe or even fatal, stressed FDA director Janet Woodcock. With the help of the so-called booster vaccinations, the pandemic should continue to be fought “proactively”.

Third vaccination with Johnson & Johnson much earlier

The US agency recommends giving a third dose of the Moderna vaccine to people aged 65 and over. The same applies to people with an increased risk of a serious illness. The FDA recommends booster vaccination from the age of 18. The recommendation also applies to employees in jobs with an increased risk of infection. A booster vaccination with Moderna should take place at the earliest six months after the affected person has received the second vaccination dose necessary for a complete vaccination.

The FDA recommends a third vaccination with the product from Johnson & Johnson for all adults aged 18 and over. From the FDA’s point of view, the vaccination protection can be refreshed as early as two months after the complete vaccination.

So far, only BioNTech and Pfizer vaccines have been approved for third-party vaccinations in the USA. The FDA gave the go-ahead for this in September.

Consent to cross vaccination

In addition to booster vaccinations with other vaccines, the FDA now also allows so-called cross vaccinations. This means that a different vaccine can be administered for a booster vaccination than for the first two doses or for the one-off first vaccination with Johnson & Johnson. After approval by the FDA, the US health authority CDC must now publish appropriate vaccination recommendations, which is expected to happen later this day.

In the United States, more than 189 million people are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That corresponds to about 57 percent of the total population.