The National Institutes of Health has launched an early stage clinical trial evaluating the response when someone who has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 later gets a different type of booster shot.
The trial will include 150 people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with either Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech's dose regimen. Participants will receive one booster dose of Moderna's shot 12 to 20 weeks later, regardless of what shot they were first vaccinated with, according to a June 1 announcement.
"Although the vaccines currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offer strong protection against COVID-19, we need to prepare for the possibility of needing booster shots to counter waning immunity and to keep pace with an evolving virus," said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "The results of this trial are intended to inform public health policy decisions on the potential use of mixed vaccine schedules should booster doses be indicated."
About 25 people aged 18-55, and 25 people age 56 and older will be included in each vaccine group.
Researchers will follow up with participants for one year after their final vaccination, conducting phone check-ins, and periodically collecting blood samples to evaluate the immune response against circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants.
For people who haven't been vaccinated, the NIH will have a separate cohort where participants initially receive Moderna's two-dose vaccine regimen. They'll later receive a booster dose of Pfizer, J&J or Moderna's vaccine.
To learn more, click here.