A few say they have already done so themselves, even without
published data on whether combining two different vaccines is safe
and effective or backing from U.S. health regulators. Canada and
some European countries are already allowing people to get two
different COVID-19 shots.
The debate centers on concerns over how protective the J&J shot is
against the Delta variant first detected in India and now
circulating widely in many countries. Delta, which has also been
associated with more severe disease, could quickly become the
dominant version of the virus in the United States, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky has
warned.
There is no substantial data showing how protective the J&J vaccine
is against the new variant. However, UK studies show that two doses
of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccines are
significantly more protective against the variant than one.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Jun/28/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png)
Andy Slavitt, former senior pandemic advisor to U.S. President Joe
Biden, raised the idea this week on his podcast. At least half a
dozen prominent infectious disease experts said U.S. regulators need
to address the issue in short order.
"There's no doubt that the people who receive the J&J vaccine are
less protected against disease," than those who get two doses of the
other shots, said Stanford professor Dr. Michael Lin. "From the
principle of taking easy steps to prevent really bad outcomes, this
is really a no brainer."
The CDC is not recommending boosters, and advisors to the agency
said at a public meeting this week there is not yet significant
evidence of declining protection from the vaccines.
Jason Gallagher, an infectious diseases expert at Temple
University’s School of Pharmacy, recently received a Pfizer dose at
the Philadelphia vaccine clinic where he has been administering
shots. He got the J&J vaccine in a clinical trial in November.
Gallagher said he was concerned about the UK data
https://www.gov.uk/government/
news/vaccines-highly-effective-against-b-
1-617-2-variant-after-2-doses showing lower efficacy against the
Delta variant for people who received one vaccine dose.
"While the situation has gotten so much better in the U.S., the
Delta variant that's spreading ... and really quickly taking over in
the U.S. looks a little more concerning in terms of the breakthrough
infections with the single-dose vaccines," he said. "So I took the
plunge."
[to top of second column] |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Jun/28/images/ads/current/farmersbank_lda_HOMETOWNHEROS_2021.png) Cases, hospitalizations and
deaths have plummeted in the United States with
56% of the adult population fully vaccinated.
J&J said it is testing whether the immune response from its vaccine
is capable of neutralizing the Delta variant in a laboratory
setting, but no data is available yet.
Both mRNA vaccines showed efficacy rates around 95% in large U.S.
trials, while J&J's vaccine was 66% effective in preventing
moderate-to-severe COVID-19 globally when more contagious variants
were circulating.
Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a researcher at the University of
Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, said on
Twitter she had gotten a dose of Pfizer's vaccine this week after
receiving J&J's in April.
Rasmussen, who declined to be interviewed, encouraged Americans who
received the J&J vaccine to talk to their doctors about a possible
second shot.
"If you live in a community with overall low vaccination, I'd
suggest you strongly consider doing so," she tweeted.
Vaccine expert Dr. Peter Hotez from Baylor College of Medicine in a
tweet said adding a second J&J dose or one of the mRNA vaccines
might provide broader protection, "but we need data and CDC-FDA
guidance."
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
is running a trial to determine the need for boosting all currently
authorized shots with another dose of Moderna's vaccine. NIAID
scientist Dr. John Beigel told Reuters the agency hopes to have that
data by September to help inform regulators' decisions on boosters.
As long as case counts remain low in the United States, J&J
recipients should wait for more data, he said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Jun/28/images/ads/current/crmmaterials_sda_DAILY_051221.png)
If Delta variant-driven infections and hospitalizations increase
significantly, he said, "then decisions might need to be made with
an absence of data. But right now, I do think it's appropriate that
they wait."
(Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill
Berkrot)
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