The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) gave the green light for Delaware’s vaccine providers to begin administering booster doses for vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to eligible populations.
The J&J booster is recommended for those who received the one-shot vaccine two months or more ago.
The announcement is based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine received booster authorization last month.
DPH also advised that any of the three authorized vaccines can be administered to qualifying individuals as a booster in a “mix and match” approach to the vaccine initially received.
This decision comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally approved an expansion of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to allow for a booster dose for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The FDA also gave EUA approval to permit medical providers to administer boosters of any vaccine brand to individuals regardless of the brand vaccine they originally received.
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met Thursday to provide additional guidance on who should receive a booster dose, and the CDC Directorendorsed the advisory committee’s recommendations later that night.
Based on CDC recommendations for individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot six months or more after their initial series:
- People 65 years and older
- People aged 18 and older who live in long-term care settings
- People 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions, which include but are not limited to: cancer, chronic heart, lung, and kidney diseases, dementia, diabetes, down syndrome, HIV, overweight and obesity, pregnancy, organ transplants, and stroke.
People 18 and older who work or live in high-risk settings, including health care workers, teachers and daycare staff, grocery workers, and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others. - For individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, booster shots are recommended for those 18 and older and vaccinated two or more months ago.
