With delta variant spiking in Missouri, those who got J&J vaccine may need a booster
Infectious disease experts say those who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may need a booster shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, particularly to fight off the more contagious delta variant that’s raging here in Missouri.
Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not yet recommending such boosters, some doctors who specialize in infectious disease and got the J & J vaccine are already getting them. Stanford professor Dr. Michael Lin is among those arguing that getting one not only makes sense but is a “no-brainer.”
“The 40% expected breakthrough in J&J recipients exposed to delta is a big contrast to the 12%” expected for those who got the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, he tweeted. “Why not bump the protection against illness from (and transmission of) delta from 60% for J&J recipients to ~90% like the RNA recipients have? This can be easily accomplished with a RNA booster for existing J&J recipients.”
Not surprisingly, COVID-19 infections are rising where the vaccination rate is low — that’s us — and falling where more people have been vaccinated. Right now, we’re leading the country in both COVID-19 infections and in the delta variant.
“There’s really no excuse anymore for not getting vaccinated,” says Dr. Rex Archer, director of health for Kansas City. “The problem is, when people don’t, then the virus has a chance to continue to mutate. And we will see something much worse than this delta variant if we don’t get this virus under control.”
The delta variant is likely to become the dominant strain here, Archer says, and one-shot vaccinations won’t be enough to ward it off or keep it from spreading. It won’t stay in rural areas, either, so urban areas will be paying a price for the lack of vaccinations and precautions in rural Missouri.
Archer says it’s absolutely essential for those who’ve only had one Pfizer or Moderna shot to get their second. He said he’s awaiting word from the feds on whether they recommend that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be boosted by a Pfizer or Moderna shot. But in the meantime, he recommends extreme caution for those folks, who he says should really be wearing masks in most indoor situations.
An Associated Press analysis of data from last month shows that nearly all deaths from COVID-19 — over 99% of them — are now in unvaccinated patients. Fully vaccinated patients account for only 0.1% of hospitalizations.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly continues to encourage Kansans to do the right thing for themselves and their communities: “The delta variant is rapidly spreading in neighboring states, and the best way to protect yourself, your community, and get our state back to normal is by getting vaccinated,” Kelly said in a statement Monday. “Kansas is moving in the right direction, but we can’t let our guard down now.” She urged people to go to www.kansasvaccine.gov to find a vaccination site.
Unfortunately, in keeping with his “do whatcha wanna do” response to the whole pandemic, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is doing just the opposite, pronouncing himself “comfortable” with where the state is in fighting COVID-19.
“The one thing we’re very comfortable with is, one, we continue to do the testing every day in the state of Missouri,” Parson told KMIZ. “We know what our hospitalization rates are, we know that they’re not climbing at an extreme rate like they were before and we’re going to deal with that. We’re going to deal with COVID-19 for a while, we just got to make sure we’re testing and we got the vaccine available.” If it’s available but not getting into the arms of Missourians, what good is that?
This leisurely approach, summed up perfectly by the governor’s “If you want to wear a dang mask, wear a mask” comment, is exactly the attitude that got us here.
The delta variant, first seen in India, is more contagious and is leading to spikes in hospitalizations across Missouri — where fewer than 40% have been fully vaccinated.
The CDC said that in a recent sampling of 309 Missouri specimens, 29% were the delta variant. But many places both here and in Kansas aren’t even testing for the delta variant, so its incidence can only be guessed at.
And it’s best not to guess when it comes to life and death. Choose to be safe rather than proud. Continue to take precautions such as wearing a mask, washing hands and social distancing to the extent possible.
Above all, get vaccinated. This scourge isn’t over. If you want to change that, you’re going to have to do your part.