San Francisco residents over the age of 18 who received Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine can now receive a third shot.
Johnson & Johnson recipients in the city who are seeking a third dose will receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, since at the time it was the only mRNA vaccine with full FDA approval, according to a Jan. 13 update from the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
"Eligibility is limited to San Francisco residents and to non-San Francisco residents who received their primary J&J dose in San Francisco," the advisory said. "Those who wish to receive this third dose should consult with a [healthcare provider] before scheduling an appointment for their third dose and will need to self-attest that they have consulted with an [healthcare provider] before the dose is administered."
The city's health department recommends the third dose at least five months after the second, citing studies that found people who got a third shot had a lower chance of symptomatic infection, hospitalization and severe outcomes from the omicron variant. While those studies were focused on people who received their primary series with an mRNA vaccine, "We believe that similar studies in persons whose primary series was a single J&J vaccine dose would yield similar results showing that three doses are needed for optimal protection," the health department said.
The CDC now recommends people receive Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna's mRNA vaccines over Johnson & Johnson's in most situations. For those who initially received Johnson & Johnson's single-dose shot, the CDC recommends a booster dose with either of the mRNA vaccines at least two months after the primary dose.