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Walensky Endorses CDC Panel Greenlight for Moderna, J&J Booster Vaccinations, and Mix and Match

October 25, 2021

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), signed off on booster shots of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines, along with the mixing and matching of shots ― after a CDC advisory committee unanimously recommended those steps.

The endorsement makes the expert panel’s recommendations official CDC policy and allows millions of Americans to immediately receive a booster of their choice after receiving a primary vaccination regimen. Walensky noted that the CDC may have to update its definition of full vaccination to encompass a booster as well as the primary series.

Last month, Walensky overrode the recommendations of the advisory committee, which supported a Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 booster, but not for adults at high risk of contracting the disease in the workplace. Rather than follow the panel’s advice, Walensky endorsed a Pfizer/BioNTech booster shot for this population, aligning the CDC with the FDA’s position.

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