ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Pfizer and BioNTech officials are asking federal regulators to allow their COVID vaccine to be the booster for all adults, regardless of which shot they got first.
The New York Times reports the FDA is likely to grant the request. It could all happen before Thanksgiving and be a holiday game-changer for all adults, not just those 65-and-older or at high risk of contracting COVID-19 because of their medical conditions or jobs.
President Biden has said he wants all adults to be eligible for COVID-19 booster shots because of concerns the effect of the initial dose will fade.
Dr. Anthony Lucido is pharmacy clinical manager at SSM DePaul Hospital in St. Louis County.
“Well, we’ve seen with the J&J shot less efficacy against some of the variants, such as the Delta variant," Lucido said. "The immunity seems to wane a little bit quicker. So, if you had a previous J&J shot, getting a second shot with Pfizer will give you some additional benefits.”
So, is the issue that Pfizer’s efficacy is better?
“I don’t know if the efficacy is better,” said Lucido, “they just have the data, right now. It’s available. They have the data first, so they are applying, first. Regarding why it’s Pfizer, with the timing, there’s a lot of data that came out of Israel in the last couple months. They have the data now, they’re going to the FDA and the CDC with it.”
Lucido said what’s more impactful than which vaccine you get as a booster is whether you get vaccinated to begin with. He says that is much more important when it comes to protecting your health.