ATLANTA — Developments continue to roll in on COVID vaccine availability - just Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued approval for booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and it's soon expected that children aged 5-11 will be made eligible for their shots.
With those developments comes a new round of questions about how things will work, and 11Alive is seeing lots of comments and concerns about boosters and vaccines for kids.
We're committed to bringing you answers from the experts, and 11Alive Anchor Aisha Howard spoke this morning with Medical Correspondent Dr. Sujatha Reddy about the various issues.
Here's what Dr. Reddy had to say:
- Does it make sense to get a different shot for your booster than the brand you originally got vaccinated with?
"There are some factors that might come up. I think living in a big city, we can't fathom a world where maybe there’s one pharmacy like in a small town and maybe they can only stock one brand of vaccine. So you may have gotten one shot at the health department and now there’s another one available. This mixing and matching will only help people in rural areas get the booster shot, so it makes sense.
The other thing is if you had a bad reaction or you're fearful of, let's say the blood clot side effect that’s very rare with J&J, or the heart effect that affected younger men with the mRNA vaccine, you may want to switch your brand to maybe appease your fear... even though those are rare side effects, they're very serious ones, so those are some of the reasons you could switch brands.
- Who is actually eligible for a booster shot?
I think this is an instance where you should trust your healthcare provider, and if you have a regular physician or any kind of provider I would ask them.
But really it’s kind of simple if you break it down this way: If you’re immunocompromised in any way, you should get that third dose. If you’re over 65, get that booster six months from your last vaccine. And then if you are an adult over 18 but either work in a high-risk setting - like in an ICU or a hospital setting or perhaps even a teacher - or your live in a high-risk setting like a dorm or correctional facility, you also can qualify.
But if you have any questions I would ask your healthcare provider. They know you, they know your history and they can give you your best input.
- What would you say to parents of kids 5-11 who are wary of vaccinating their kids?
As a parent you want what's best for your child - you have to weigh the risks and benefits, you have to weigh your own individual situation, but here too you can ask your pediatrician. They know your child, they know your child’s history. But for me what it’s going to come down to is – can I have my son in school? Or is he not going to be allowed in school? Because I think that’s where this may be heading.
So I think you have to weigh all the pros and cons. You also have to know that hundreds of millions of doses of all the vaccines have been given all around the world, so it has been trial by fire if you look at that way - and everything that we’re hearing is that it is safe. But if you have doubts ask your pediatrician.