On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he believes Johnson & Johnson should have given out a two-dose COVID-19 shot since health experts urge obtaining a booster shot for the one-shot jab as soon as it's available.
According to the White House chief medical advisor, the unanimous decision by a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Friday to recommend booster shots should be welcomed news for vaccine recipients.
Fauci defends Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The booster is still waiting for federal regulators to give it the go signal, but they frequently follow the panel's recommendations. Fauci did admit, though, that some J&J vaccine recipients could be better off getting a booster from Pfizer or Moderna.
"You know, the data you allude to is correct that if you get the booster, people who have originally had J&J with either Moderna or Pfizer, the level of antibodies that you induce in them is considerably higher than if you boost them with the original J&J," he said, as per the NY Post.
However, he believes that the recommendations for J&J booster recipients will consider the risks associated with each vaccination, such as the fact that Moderna and Pfizer have a slightly higher risk of myocarditis in young people.
President Joe Biden's top medical adviser defended vaccine mandates to combat the COVID-19 on Sunday, dismissing claims by conservative Republican state governors that they impinge on people's right to choose their own health care.
Per VOA News, Biden has ordered enterprises with 100 or more employees in the United States to require their staff to get vaccinated or undergo frequent testing for the virus that causes COVID-19 infection. However, it will be weeks before his orders are fully implemented.
Furthermore, Biden has instructed members of the country's military forces and civilian government workers to get immunized sooner rather than later, threatening them with dismissal if they do not comply. Some rank-and-file military service members have refused vaccines, while civilian government workers have launched a lawsuit challenging Biden's instructions.
Chief medical advisor claims Americans are flexible for vaccine mix-match
Several Republican state governors, including Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida, two potential GOP presidential opponents of Biden in 2024, have criticized the mandates as well.
Both are attempting to prevent all mandates in their respective states, despite the fact that some big corporations and local school districts have defied governors' orders and imposed their own vaccine or face-mask requirements.
Abbott claimed Biden's demands are "another instance of government overreach" and "bullying" of private companies when he banned requirements in his state last week. Abbott's resistance to any governmental or private-sector vaccine mandate in Texas, the country's second-most populated state, has elicited no personal criticism from Fauci.
People who have received the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccination will be able to mix and match booster injections based on their individual circumstances, according to Anthony Fauci. People who have received the J&J vaccination may benefit more from a dose of a second vaccine made by Moderna or Pfizer, which is based on a different technology than J&J's vaccine, per the data thus far.
While the J&J vaccine has shown to be successful in reducing the severity of COVID-19 infections, research suggests that its efficacy is not as strong over time as the vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer, as per The Hill via MSN.
Related Article: Moderna, Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Work Better To Americans Vaccinated With J&J, US Study Claims
