vaccine sisonke

Image: via Twitter @wuky

Vaccine LATEST: J&J booster shot could be rolled out SOON

Currently, a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is only being administered to health care workers under the Sisonke Study

vaccine sisonke

Image: via Twitter @wuky

It’s only a matter of time before a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the general public is made available as the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) says its still awaiting its application from the manufacturer.

All this comes as SAHPRA recently gave the nod for a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is administered in two shots – the booster shot will be given to people who are older than 18 and at least six months after the second dose has been received. The J&J and Pfizer vaccines are currently the ones being administered under South Africa’s rollout.

SAHPRA says those aged 12 years and older who are severely immunocompromised can be administered the booster dose (Pfizer) at least 28 days after their second dose.

“The data provided only dealt with the situation of homologous boosting, where the third dose is of the same vaccine as the initial course (in this case, two doses). SAHPRA is aware of the keen interest in the efficacy and safety of heterologous boosting regimens (so-called “mix-and-match” approaches) and invites the submission of supportive data in this regard,” the regulator said at the time.

In light of the emergence of the Omicron variant, government is now under immense pressure to ramp up its vaccination drive, with just over 35.6% of the country’s adult population being fully vaccinated.

SAHPRA: FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN APPROVING J&J BOOSTER SHOT

For now, a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is being administered to health care workers under the Sisonke Study and not yet for the general public, which means Pfizer is the currently the only COVID-19 vaccine allowed to give boosters.

SAHPRA’s CEO Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela told eNCA there are various factors to consider when giving the Johnson & Johnson booster shot the green light.

“We are currently engaging with J&J and trying to get them to submit an application to SAHPRA so that it (Johnson & Johnson booster shot) can be made available to the general public. It is important that all these decisions go through a stringent regulatory process so that we make sure that we take note of all the considerations and even from a safety perspective, that we consider all the data that they would have made available. As we speak, the Johnson & Johnson booster is available under Sisonke for the healthcare workers and we are expecting a submission from them…”

SAHPRA’s CEO Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela