How To Mix And Match COVID Booster Shots?

What Should I Do If I Got The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?

The first thing to do is to get a booster shot. While the original shot is still effective, people are at risk of getting severe COVID. Those who are eligible for the booster should get it without hesitation and increase their immunity.

Data collected between March and August 2021 show that the J&J vaccine is 71% effective at hospitalization prevention among most healthy adults. However, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are 93% and 88% effective, respectively.

Experts recommended people get an mRNA booster vaccine. Research showed that people who got the J&J vaccine with an mRNA vaccine had higher antibody levels than when they got another Johnson & Johnson shot. Getting a combined shot shocks the immune system into responding robustly.

William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said that “I think my colleagues and I would be harmonizing on the same song here: mainly, that you get bigger antibody responses if you get a boost with an mRNA vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna. If individuals asked me, I would say, ‘Go get yourself a Pfizer or Moderna.’”

However, you can also stick with the J&J vaccine as the booster dose provides 94% protection against moderate to severe COVID and shows to increase antibody levels four-six times. Health officials raised some questions about the strength of that data. Still, they ultimately gave the Johnson & Johnson booster the green light.

Antibodies are only a part of what the vaccine affects. They also affect T-cells that are instrumental in helping us fight infections that are harder to catch and measure.

When Can I Get It?: At least two months after your shot.