CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The CDC's advisory panel will meet later this week to discuss both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots.
Last week an FDA panel voted to recommend that people over 65, those with underlying conditions and those who work in a setting that puts them at risk of getting exposed to the virus get another half dose of the Moderna shot. While everyone who got the Johnson & Johnson product gets a second dose two to 6 months after the first.
The FDA and CDC still have some business to get to on boosters, but it's likely in the next week or so the shots could be approved for certain people who got the Moderna vaccine and all 15 million Americans who got the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine.
"We want to provide optimal protection against COVID-19," Dr. Penny Heaton with Johnson & Johnson said. "We know that a booster dose will do that."
The FDA is still debating whether or not people will be allowed to mix-and-match products. There is some research that shows getting two different vaccines can provide stronger protection against the virus. Pfizer booster shots have already been approved, and local providers are seeing interest in older populations.
"We're definitely seeing folks come in and hopefully, the pace that's happening right now is good because it's not outpacing our ability to quickly serve everyone," Dr. Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County Deputy Health Director, said. "So folks can come in with no wait in most cases and get a shot."
But there's still a push to get the unvaccinated their first dose of any of the three products. In North Carolina, 63% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated and in South Carolina, 54% is fully vaccinated.
The latest data out of Mecklenburg County shows more than 622,000 people are fully vaccinated. That's about 56% of the population.
"If you're out there and you're unvaccinated, don't let a personal tragedy be the thing that prompts you to get vaccinated," Dr. David Priest with Novant Health said.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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