Thread by @DrEricDing

BREAKING—a panel of outside experts advised the FDA on Friday to authorize a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson #COVID19 vaccine for people 18+, with a recommendation it be given at least 2 months after the first shot. FDA expected to authorize 🧵
washingtonpost.com/health/2021/10…

2) The unanimous recommendation will now be taken up by the FDA, which is expected to make a decision within days — a decision that will clarify the path forward for the 14 million people in US who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, many of whom have felt left behind.

3) A CDC the analysis found that while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine offered a strong shield of protection, it was somewhat weaker than the other products. covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra…

4) top federal health official, Dr. Peter Marks, said that the agency may consider regulatory action that would allow Johnson & Johnson recipients to receive a booster shot of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccines. nytimes.com/2021/10/15/us/…

5) But Dr. Marks, who oversees the F.D.A.’s vaccine division, gave no timetable for any decision, saying only that authorization of the use of a different vaccine as a booster for Johnson & Johnson recipients was “possible.”